Bright Eyed Boys
by TheBaeTide
Summary: Sequel to Girls With Brown Eyes: After an unplanned pregnancy, Rick and Michonne are trying to support their instant family as best as they can, but between Rick's changing job prospects and Michonne's secrecy surrounding her own line of work, the couple are bound to run into some trouble on their quest to happiness. AU. No Walkers. Rick's still love sick. Michonne's still sneaky.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

 _"...I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed in both of you. You both already had kids so young so I don't understand why you think you needed to have another while you're still young. You just got your degree! You were meant to go and get yourself a job working in a lawyers office but now you've got to put that on the back burner because you'll have two kids to worry about"_

 _Michonne stood in front of her mother as she listened to her vent her worries and frustrations. She threw one arm one way and the other and asked Michonne questions that she didn't actually want the answer to._

 _"What makes it worse is that my poor grandchild has been rattling around in there while you've been running around the city, chasing bad guys and shooting guns!"_

 _Michonne narrowed her eyes at her, "Rattling around?"_

 _"You know what I mean", Her mother gave her a pointed look as she placed her hands on her round hips, "I had my doubts about you and Rick at first but I was honestly starting to believe that maybe you two might work out great¬"_

 _"We still will, mom", Michonne insisted lightly, "Rick's not like Mike and you know that"_

 _"I know he's not like Mike and I never thought that he was, but having three kids to take care of can put a strain on any relationship", Her mother clarified, "He's going to have to support four people now and put a bigger roof over your heads - I had a hard enough time doing that when I just had your big head to worry about"_

 _Michonne's mouth fell agape. She crossed her arms over her chest as she gave her mother an unimpressed look, "Well, I am offended"_

 _"Oh stop it. I mean it out of love", Her mother shook her head as she gazed around the parking lot, "To think I almost took you and Andre off my insurance. I'm gonna' have to keep you both on there until Rick finds a different job"_

 _"He can keep the job he has now, mom"_

 _Her mother's head swung back around to look at her, "Yeah? And what if he gets hurt when he's out one night? Seriously hurt, Michonne?"_

 _Michonne shifted from one foot to another as she thought about it, "That can happen at any point in time, mom. Any of us can get seriously hurt whether we purposely put ourselves in harming way or not, but we don't let that stop us from leaving the house, do we?"_

 _Her mother rolled her eyes at her, "Now she thinks she's a philosopher"_

 _Michonne pursed her lips together tightly when she felt herself begin to smile, "I get what you mean, mom. And it's one of the many things that we will discuss together before the baby gets here"_

 _Her mother sighed deeply as her pupils rolled down to Michonne's stomach, "Have you ever been to a doctor?"_

 _She nodded and smoothed her hands over her red and white polka-dot dress. You couldn't really see much but she could feel the change taking place in her body, "Yeah. She thinks I'm about four months along¬"_

 _"Four months!", Her mother yelled. Her warm brown eyes widened to dramatically, "The two of you have only been together for, what? A couple months?! And you're four months- you're four months already?!"_

 _Michonne groaned as she slapped her hands over her ears and closed her eyes, "God, mom, please stop yelling, your voice is so shrill!"_

 _Her mother squinted at her as she raised her pointer finger, "So when I asked you if you were pregnant that one time¬"_

 _"No, I wasn't pregnant then, mom", Michonne deadpanned as she dropped her hands to her side._

 _"Oh, so I put the idea in your head!", Her mother threw her hands up in the air as she chuckled with disbelief, "I must have planted the seed, right? Well, clearly Rick was the one that planted something¬"_

 _Michonne recoiled in horror as she hissed at her, "Mom! Why are you the grossest person ever?!"_

 _"Oh, now it's gross!", Her mother raised her eyebrows at her, "Now you decide to act like a nun when you should have been acting like a nun four months ago!"_

 _"Well, I'm sorry but you're grandmother again!", Michonne countered, "So congratulations!"_

 _Her mother waved her hand dismissively at her, "Oh stop it! You know I'd love any grandchild of mine, even if I don't like how they got here"_

 _Michonne exhaled tiredly, "Well that's all I needed to know. So can we just accept it and move on?"_

 _Her mother rolled her shoulders back as she turned to face the park, "I already accepted it. I just needed to get all that out the way"_

 _"Fine.", Michonne huffed as she stood at her side, "And be nice to Rick, mom. He didn't know. You can't hit him."_

 _"I was trying to hit him", Her mother explained dryly as she stared ahead of them, "I was just trying to get a good hold of him"_

 _A moment of silence passed by before the two women cackled together. Michonne naked on her arms around her mothers and sat her head on her shoulder, "I still need you, mom"_

 _Her mother kissed her on her forehead, "I know."_

...

"You did great tonight. You think you can make it tomorrow?"

Michonne immediately shook her head as she shoved the sizeable roll of bills in her backpack, "Can't-do weekends, remember?"

Carol pouted as she pushed off the desk, "Alright, fine. Let me know if you change your mind"

"Yeah. Will do", Michonne flashed her a smile as she backed away, "See you"

"Bye, get home safe"

Michonne glanced at her watch as she marched to the exit. It was the early hours of the morning and she had to get home as soon as she could. Her breasts felt rock hard and uncomfortable. She was exhausted, but she only had a twenty-minute walk home so she put her backpack on properly and began to sprint. It was a little chilly at this time of day so the movement quickly warmed her up.

By the time she arrived at her apartment she felt as if she was drenched in sweat, but she soon learned that it definitely wasn't sweat. She ran up the staircase and swung her bag in front of her to retrieve her keys; then moved at a snail's pace to open the door.

"Hey, I just put her down", Beth spoke in a whisper, even though the bedrooms were at the end of the hall. The blonde's large blue eyes fell to Michonne's grey t-shirt when she saw her take off her jacket, "Oh… What happened?"

Michonne looked down at herself and growled, "I ran here"

Beth seemed clueless like she couldn't understand what that meant.

Michonne waved it off, "It's nothing, uh… Let me pay you"

"Okay."

"Andre wasn't any trouble was he?", Michonne carried her bag over to the kitchen counter, "He ate all his dinner so he should have slept straight through the night"

"Yeah, he did. Not a peep from him", Beth replied while packing away her books off the coffee table.

"Good", Michonne plucked several bills from the cash she'd only just received, "Are you going to be okay driving home?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine".

Michonne paid her friend's younger sister and watched her make her way to her vehicle from her window when she left. It was part of their routine. As soon as she saw Beth take off, she headed to the bathroom to change her clothes and have a quick shower.

Chances of her getting any more than five hours of sleep were slim, so as soon as she had finished changing, she quickly checked on both children so she could get some rest. Trying to find Andre under in his dozens of blankets wasn't easy, but she saw one blanket in particular raising and falling in the corner of his toddler bed so she left him alone. She couldn't understand why he had started to demand to sleep with so many sheets and comforters around him but she wasn't going to question him if it kept him in his own bed at night.

She crossed the hall to find her little girl, making sure to tiptoe into the room and not get too close to her crib. Judith was curled up on her front like a tiny mocha egg, sucking away on her pacifier as she slept. Her trademark snarl was nowhere to be seen when she slept. Michonne backed out of the room before she breathed too loud and woke her infant.

She climbed into her own bed and laid face down on the pillow as she moaned with delight. She kicked her legs one way and the other, basking in the fact that she didn't have to restrict herself to a slither of the mattress. She had it all to herself, and she fell asleep in seconds.

"Mommy, Judy's butt-butt stinks"

Michonne pried one bloodshot eye open when she heard her son's voice nearby. She couldn't believe it; the sun was already beaming through her window. She felt as if she'd only just closed her eyes. She looked at Andre, who was standing with both hands on his hips like Rick did. His little angry expression let her know that he wasn't happy. He pointed at the door as he repeated himself, "Her butt-butt stinks _really_ bad, mommy"

Michonne groaned as she lifted her head from the pillow, "Be nice to Judy, baby"

"Buh' she's stinky", Andre protested, putting his hand back on his waist.

"I already changed her so she's not stinky anymore, okay?", Rick's voice came from the doorway as he made an appearance. He held Judith on his chest as he rubbed her back as he took the tiniest steps forward, "And I hate to break it to you but you haven't always smelt too good either"

Andre shook his head adamantly, "Mommy said I smell like chocolate!"

Rick frowned and gave Michonne a questioning look, "...Are you _allowed_ to say that?"

She pulled the covers over her head as she snickered, "He was actually eating chocolate when I said that, Rick"

"Oh.", She heard his footsteps move closer to the bed, "I see that you didn't put away those toys of yours?"

Andre dropped his gaze to the ground, "...I fa-got…"

"I'll make a deal with you; put away all those toys right now and I'll give you whatever you want for a snack.", Rick offered, and Andre bolted out the room within seconds. He smirked to himself as he looked out the door, "One of these days, he's just gonna' run right through that wall"

"I'd rather he didn't", She replied flatly as she peaked at from behind the sheets, "What time did you get in?"

"Seven", He took a seat on the edge of the bed, allowing her to see her daughters face. Judith's sparkling tawny eyes peered around the room curiously as she tried to eat her father's t-shirt. He kissed her jet-black curls, "I'm gonna' try and get in earlier next week"

Michonne overcompensated on her response, "Oh? Really? You… you don't have to? I mean you should make sure you get your rest…"

He peered back at her, "It's fine. I need to… You're doing all the work over here"

She hummed a response as she averted her gaze to the ceiling, "Okay… Um, what time's Carl getting here?"

"He should be here for lunch", Rick hadn't stopped pecking little kisses on his daughter's puffy cheek, causing her to turn her head towards him and latch onto his nose with her mouth. He chuckled, "You got me!"

Michonne watched them with adoring eyes until she heard Andre yell, "All done!"

"I'll take her", Michonne outstretched her arms, "She's probably hungry now",

"How much do you wanna' bet that he just shoved all those toys into the corner of the room?", Rick joked as he handed the infant over, "Or under the coffee table"

"Coffee table. That's his new favorite spot", Michonne laid Judith on her chest and sighed with delight as the little girl tried her best to lift her head and see her. She expected Rick to leave the room immediately but he leaned over and gave her a sweet, tender kiss on the lips.

"I missed you", He whispered in his husky voice, "I wanted to snuggle with you this morning but they both woke up when I got in. I think they sensed that I wanted to have you to myself for a little while"

She beamed at him, "I missed you, too. And no, they don't want either of us having any alone time¬"

"I said _all done_!", Andre repeated in a whiny voice.

Rick sighed, "He's like the king of the castle around here"

Michonne scoffed as she rolled her hand up and down Judith's back, "You're telling me."

With Andre's fourth birthday around the corner, she was happy to have another baby around to distract her from the obvious yearning she felt. Her son was getting older, a little more independent, and less interested in her. He only cared about doing what he liked to call, 'boy stuff' with Carl and Rick. She felt shunned by her own boy most of the time, unless he needed a referee or to lodge a complaint about his sister. She was initially worried about he'd take to having a younger sibling since he was so used to having all eyes on him, but he proved to her that she was wrong to worry because he simply ignored her too.

She attached Judith to her breast and ventured back into the living room just as Andre strolled by with a spoon in his mouth. She frowned at him, "Why does he have a spoon?"

"He wanted to eat the whole jar of jam", Rick replied from the kitchen as he stood at the stove, "So we compromised"

Michonne felt the need to say something about the amount of sugar Andre ate, but she choose to roll her eyes instead, "Of course"

Rick smirked as he looked back over his shoulder at her. Then he frowned, "Aren't you meant to be sitting down when you do that?"

"I'm hungry", She replied dryly as she started for the fridge.

"I'm making pancakes. Go on, sit down", He insisted tenderly, "Let me do somethan' besides bribe Andre"

"I'll have you know that he looks forward to that all week", She took a seat on the stool so she could watch him prepare her breakfast, "Now I can't ask him to do anything for free"

"That may seem like a problem now but I'm telling you, he's gonna' be a great businessman when he's older", He took a step back as he held the pan away from him, "Watch this"

"If it lands on the floor then that one's yours", She witnessed him toss the pancake up in the air and catch it with ease.

He gave her smug look, "You were saying?"

"Well done! Now put it in my mouth", She reacted dryly, but immediately began to smile when she saw him raise his eyebrows at her suggestively. She shook her head, "Stop it"

"I just wish you'd talk like that to me when we're alone", He took a plate from the counter and slid the pancake on to it, "I don't think that's a ridiculous request"

"Let's pretend like we can't hear daddy", She whispered to Judith, who was fighting to stay awake but kept rolling her eyes shut. Michonne snickered at her, "Looks like she's not pretending"

"Yeah, yeah", Hr droned. He poured some more batter into the pan, "So uh, we had a deputy Director come down to the academy during the week… He was talking to about positions the got going in the FBI…"

Michonne's eyebrows slowly rose as she stared at the side of his face, "The FBI?"

He tilted his head to look at her, and she wished that he hadn't. Not being able to see him during the week made her miss him in more ways than one, and he didn't have to do much to make her pulse race. He peered at her with his bright blue eyes as he answered in a raspy tone, "Yeah. Apparently, it ain't unusual for them to recruit people from the academy to join the Atlanta field office… He caught up with me after and said he'd heard about my background and asked if I was interested…"

Michonne began to frown at him, "Is that something you're interested in?"

He shrugged as he looked back down at the frying pan, "To be honest, It's not somethan' I've thought about but…It could be a good move. I could be earning a good wage doing what I did before but with better perks. I'd get paid more during training than I am now so¬"

"But wouldn't you have to train for longer?", She tried to keep any indication of the anxiety she felt out of her tone, "If it's the FBI then I'm sure they have a more extensive program than the police department"

He nodded his head as he flipped over the pancake, "Yeah, I would… But it's just somethan' we're thinking about. I haven't signed up to anythan' just yet but we can think about it…"

Michonne averted her gaze elsewhere, "Yeah."

He must have noticed her change in tone, because he looked at her, "Hey, I mean that. Don't worry about it, it's just an idea. I'll let you know if I hear anythan' else about it"

She slowly nodded as she forced a smile on her face, "Alright."

He smiled back, "How many pancakes do you want?"

"Twelve."

"Four pancakes coming right up"

She snorted at him as she stood up to put Judith in her swing, "Then why even bother to ask me how many I want?"

"Because I thought you'd give me a _reasonable_ answer", He abandoned the stove to fetch something in the fridge, "Is your mother coming over today?"

"She said she would. Apparently, Ezekiel has a gift for us, which means he has something for the kids…", She used her foot to turn the swing around, then gently lowered Judith in, "I just wish he would stop buying the loudest toys he can find"

No sooner had the words left her mouth did Andre wander back into the living room making a clunking noise, and when Michonne looked up she saw that he was banging a pair of her highest stripper heels together as he hummed and swayed from side to side. Her heart began to race in panic while her boyfriend was too busy complaining to notice, "You know I don't mind the guy but it's too soon for him to be making jokes about the time I caught them together. I still don't like looking either of them directly in the eye…"

"Haha, yeah I know", Michonne pretended she was listening as she scurried across the room and right in front of her son. She plucked the shows from his hands and made a beeline to his room, while Andre protested behind her.

"I was playing wit' those, mommy!", He grabbed the back of her sweatpants, "That's _not_ fair!"

"You can play with something else, baby", Michonne skidded into his room and saw that he'd found her bag that contained all of her workwear. She shoved all the things away at lightning speed, then took the bag to his closet and stuffed it behind a box of his old clothing.

"I want them!", Andre clenched his little fists at his side as his face began to crumble.

"How about I get you another spoon of jam instead?", She offered a little breathlessly as she closed the closet door, "Come on, let's get some jam"

Andre's face smoothed as he reached for his mother's hand, "Okay. I like jam"

"I know you do."

...

A/N: This was more of an introduction into where this version of Richonne are. I was going to start off at a point where Michonne was pregnant but due to the fact that she's dancing again (and in secret this time) - Judith had to be born already. Hope you enjoyed! Don't snatch me please and thank you!

\- Bae xoco


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"Well isn't this great? It's been so long since we all went out to eat together!"

Rick plastered a smile on his face as he glanced at Ezekiel from across the table but quickly put his focus back on Andre as the little boy was trying to take the baby carrots from his plate and hide them in his pockets. Rick leaned closer as he whispered, "All the rabbits in the city are gonna' chase you around if you put those in there"

Andre furrowed his dark brows at Rick, "I think you just tol' me a lie."

Rick raised his eyebrows at him, "You think? Alright, let's go outside and see what happens"

Even though his girlfriend's son was proving to be quite smart for his age, he was still incredibly innocent. Andre slowly began pulling the carrots out of his pocket and Rick smirked.

"Oh, I got your pants in the car, Carl. Took a while but I got that hole patched up", Marie announced from the head of the table as cradled her granddaughter in one arm, "Make sure you take them before we go"

Carl reluctantly tore his gaze away from his phone screen and smiled, "Oh, great, thanks."

"Your welcome", Marie averted her gaze to her daughter, and the way she frowned made Rick look at Michonne too, and they were both stunned to see her struggling to stay awake at the table; Her head lulled to one side as she balanced it on her hand, her dreadlocks falling along with the rest of her. Marie sighed, "See? This is what I was talking about"

"She has a newborn. She's going to be tired", Ezekiel reasoned as he placed his hand on her shoulder, "You have to go easy on her"

Rick reached over Andre and tapped his girlfriend on the arm, "Rise and shine"

She perked up and forced her eyes open, "Huh? What? Oh, is the food here?"

Rick tilted his head towards her plate, "Your foods been sitting there, collecting dust"

She looked down at her untouched burger and inhaled, "Oh, yeah"

"You didn't get enough sleep last night?", Marie probed as she moved Judith to the crook of her arm.

"No, I got in at two…", Michonne answered tiredly, "Bed. I got into my _bed_ at two."

"Why so late?", Marie looked confused, "Andre still goes to bed at seven, right? Then you just go to sleep when the baby sleeps¬"

"I know, I know", Michonne hummed in response as she picked up a fry.

Rick hated to see her so exhausted. She tried to hide it from him but sometimes she just couldn't. It was the reason why he wanted to arrive home earlier on the weekends; so that she could really get a chance to rest while he took care of the home and kids.

"I don' like this, dad", Andre held up a pea between his small fingers, "You eat it"

Rick blinked at him, "This one pea? You ate every single other pea on your plate, but not this one? Why?"

Andre shook the pea, "I don' like _this_ one!"

Rick sighed as he took the pea from him and dropped it in his own plate, "I would love to know just what is going on in that mind of yours"

"So Carl, how's school going?", Ezekiel rested his forearm on the table as he looked at the pre-teen, "I heard you've been doing well?"

Rick smirked with disbelief as he looked at the other man, "From who?"

"I am doing well if you _must_ know", Carl sat up proudly as he lowered his phone again.

"Yes, I _must_ know because I'm your father", Rick ejected in a monotone.

"I actually understood what was happening in my Algebra class last week"

"Oh, well I apologize", Rick retorted sarcastically, "Seems like you're on a roll"

"And I actually studied for my US history test", Carl added.

Rick was genuinely surprised with that piece of information. His son had always made it clear that he found school so uninteresting that he often fell asleep, so to know that he was paying attention on his own accord pleased Rick, and he gave his son a pat on the back to show that, "Really? Well, I'm very happy to hear that¬"

"So can I get a new phone?", Carl ejected quickly.

Rick's mouth fell agape while Marie and Ezekiel snickered from the other side of the table. He shook his head at him, "At least wait for your grades to go up before you start asking for stuff"

"Oh dear, someone's not happy", Marie announced as she began rocking Judith from side to side, "Just look at that face"

"Doesn't that face mean she's filling her diaper?", Ezekiel joked as he peered at the infant too.

"I'm not changing her this time", Carl piped up from behind his phone, "Last time she pooped on me"

Rick started to grin when he remembered the incident, "That was funny"

"It was not.", His son deadpanned.

"You might be in luck, Rick", Ezekiel said, but kept his gaze on Judith, "I think I can see a hint of blue in those little eyes of hers"

"Oh yeah", Marie narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to one side as she observed her granddaughter, "Looks like they're changing... Well congratulations Rick; it looks like your DNA did make some kind of contribution after all"

"Well, we knew his DNA worked to begin with", Ezekiel chuckled, "Just look at Carl. He's a carbon copy of his father"

Ricks' eyes darted back and forth from Marie to Ezekiel, "Why do I have a feeling this is somethan' that the two of you have discussed in depth¬"

A high pitched clink! Caught all of their attention. Michonne gasped as she picked up her glass and began dabbing at the table with her napkin, "Oh my God"

"Did you fall asleep again?", Her mother asked as she pulled her napkin off her lap and held it out for her daughter, "Here, use mine"

"I've got it, mom"

"You need to try and get some more rest. As soon as the kids go to sleep then you should go to sleep. Leave the housework for the morning¬"

"Mom!", Michonne snapped as she moved her plate out the way to wipe the wooden table, "Just let me clear this up!"

Knowing what was coming next, Rick rolled his eyes shut. Marie slowly inhaled as she put her napkin back on her lap and sat back in her seat, stoned face, "Fine."

Michonne released a low growl as she plopped the napkin on the table and pushed her seat back, "I need some air."

"I'm coming", Andre tried to squirm out of his chair but Rick stopped him.

"Mommy needs a little alone time so why don't you bother Carl instead?", He suggested playfully as he pointed at his son, "Just look at him; he needs someone to sit on his lap and steal some of his valuable screen time, so why don't you be the one to do that?"

Carl lowered his phone and gave his father a pointed look while Andre climbed down from his chair and ran to the pre-teen, "Thanks."

"You're welcome", Rick slowly stood up, "Keep an eye on him for a minute for me. I'll be right back."

Michonne and her mother's relationship was growing increasingly strained since Judith's arrival. He could admit that Marie was a very vocal woman and he could sometimes see why his girlfriend grew frustrated, but Rick could also see that she was just trying to help them as much as she could, and Michonne's reactions seemed to stem from fatigue.

"...I'm glad that it was only a glass you knocked over", Rick announced gently as he snuck up behind Michonne in the parking lot, "You could have fallen off your seat and right into the path of one of those waiters and that… that would have been a problem"

Her forehead was creased as she stared down at her most trusted pair of black biker boots, "I know"

Rick stood in front of her and ran his hands down her lean arms, "I'm trying to make you laugh but it doesn't seem like I can these days"

She sighed, "I'm just tired, Rick. That's all"

"I know you are, and I feel terrible about it", He admitted as he took her hand in his, "You have a lot on your plate because I'm not there to help¬"

"And you're not here to help because you're out doing what you have to do for us", Her eyes rolled up to meet his gaze, "It's equal"

"It doesn't feel equal. It doesn't even feel just a little bit equal. You've got those three in there to worry about all week", He tipped his head in the restaurant's direction, "I know Carl tries to help but he's still just a kid himself¬"

"Carl's a great help when he's here", She insisted, "But Rick, honestly it's fine… I'm just a little tired and that's expected so it's no big deal"

Rick eyes trailed all around her face, "...Couple more weeks and that's it."

"I know", She ran her hands over her face as she groaned, "I have to go back in there, Judith's going to be hungry soon"

"Go sit in the truck, I'll pry her from your mother and bring her to you", Rick suggested, "You can relax for a while"

She gave him a small smile in return but it was forced. He knew that it was. Not only wasn't she laughing with him like she used to but she wasn't looking at him the same. Her big brown eyes used to sparkle with delight but now they were dull and lacking the warmth that he looked forward to receiving from her. He tried to put it down to the fact that she was still adjusting to the new pace of their lives but his insecurities told him that she was simply unhappy with him.

Marie had warned them both that things would be difficult in the long run and neither of them doubted that and Rick wanted to believe that the could easily withstand those difficulties but the cracks were starting to show.

"How is she?", Ezekiel looked at Rick with concern when he returned to the table, "If she wants to go home and then we can skip dessert¬"

"No, she's fine, don't worry about it", Rick shook his head at the notion as he stood beside Marie, "And I think the boys would be pretty pissed about skipping dessert"

"We would be pissed", Carl agreed flatly. He had on Andre on his lap as they both stared at his phone screen like zombies.

"Language, Carl", Rick warned, then turned back to Marie as he motioned his infant, "She needs to feed her"

Marie began to frown as she moved Judith within his reach, "So now she's not coming back in here?"

"She will, she just needed some air"

Marie sighed and handed Judith over, "I just don't get it¬"

"Marie.", Ezekiel groaned.

"What? I'm just trying to help¬"

"We know, and she appreciates it- we both do", Rick insisted as he lifted his little girl up to his chest, "You're a great help and she'll probably tell you that when she wakes up. Right now she's sleeping on the curb."

Marie tipped her head towards him as she looked at Ezekiel, "See? I told you; they both think that they're comedians"

Rick snickered at her. He carried his daughter through the restaurant while she tried to eat his shirt so he kissed her on her dark curls, "I guess you are hungry, huh?"

Judith rolled her head back to look up at him when she heard his voice in her eat.

Rick was captivated by her, "If you aren't the most beautiful thang in this world then I don't know what is. You are _perfect_."

Her eyes glittered and the corner of her mouth curled up as if she were trying to smile.

"And don't you know it", He pecked her on the nose and she beamed at him, "Don't tell your brothers I told you that because they get jealous easily."

Michonne was already sitting in his truck when he made it back to the parking lot, and when she saw Rick she did something that he deemed as strange; she was obviously on the cell phone but when she saw him she quickly hung up and threw the device on the dashboard.

It wasn't the first time that he'd seen her hide her cell phone from him. She had started to throw the device to one side whenever he entered the room so it was obvious that she didn't want him to hear her conversation. She'd say it was her mother or Maggie but he knew that wasn't true because she never had a problem speaking to anyone in front of him before and often involved him in their discussions, whether he wished to be included or not.

His forehead creased as he opened the passenger side door, "You on the phone?"

She sat up straight, "Yeah. It was just Maggie."

Rick's frown didn't disappear but he pretended to take her word for it. He handed her Judith after giving her one last kiss on the cheek, "...You feeling alright now?"

Michonne nodded, "Yeah. Fine... Is Andre alright?"

"Yeah. Carl's got him watching something on his phone", Rick observed how she'd free one of her breasts from her shirt, "...You just whipped that out¬"

"Stop", Michonne smirked as she used Judith's blanket to cover herself, "I'll come back in there when we're done"

"I told your mom that, and I let her know that we appreciate her help¬"

"Of course we do", Michonne agreed with some edge to her tone, "But she just… won't stop sometimes. I don't always need a _running commentary_ from someone when I'm making a mistake"

Rick gave her a perplexed look, unsure if she was referring to the incident with the drink or everything else in her life. He rubbed the back of his neck, "...Yeah. You know she means well though."

"I know", Michonne sighed as she stared at the windshield.

Rick placed his hand on her knee to get her attention, "...Why don't we try to get away next weekend? Just the two of us? We can go out for dinner or catch a movie"

She raised her eyebrow at him, "Just the two of us?"

"I mean, we can bring the kids but then it wouldn't be just the two of us… That would actually defeat the purpose of me trying to get you away from them for a while. And if the kids come then your mother and Ezekiel are gonna' tag along too, so it would be a repeat of today… And that's not what I want", He informed dryly, and she almost giggled at him.

"We need to start being smarter with money Rick, so why don't we just wait until the kids are asleep and just watch a movie or something?"

He inhaled deeply as he nodded, "Yeah, you're right. If that's what you want."

She gave him that fake smile again and it pained him, but he had started to ignore the way he was feeling and focused on fixing whatever the problem was between them.

He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment everything changed between them because they were so busy throughout her pregnancy. Even though Judith was a surprise, he was delighted all the same and ready to make all the necessary adjustments to welcome her, but it wasn't just Judith that he had to consider. They needed a bigger home, he needed a bigger car and Michonne needed a car of her own. He thought that by taking as many jobs as Glen could offer him, they would be in a better financial position but all the higher paid jobs were outside the city, and sometimes out of the state, and the idea of being so far away from his family for large chunks of time made him feel uncomfortable, so he had to make a change.

Becoming a detective wasn't that much safer than his previous role but he'd be earning more and still be in his desired career choice, with better working hours, too. In his mind, it was the perfect opportunity, but being away from his family for five days out of the week while he trained at the academy was proving difficult. He had almost missed his daughters birth while he was away and he was continuing to be absent at times when any of his family needed him most, which wasn't a nice feeling for him at all. It didn't help that the income he received was considerably lower while he was enrolled in training so they were only just getting by, yet somehow Michonne made it work and he admired her so much for her resilience, but he had a nagging voice at the back of his mind that told him she was unhappy.

She was still young and had three kids to take care of, as well as a home and bills to manage. Even though she'd never said anything to suggest that she regretted all the changes that had taken place between them, Rick was worried that she soon would. It took Lori several years to realize that he wasn't the type of man she wanted to settle down with and Michonne could easily find herself thinking the same thing. He honestly believed that Michonne had even more reason to think so, but he didn't want to happen.

He loved her more than anything and just the mere thought of her leaving him tore him up inside. She was the woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with so he was willing to do whatever it took to make her happy, and if that meant as little as sitting through an old Kung Fu movie that only she and Carl enjoyed, then he'd do it.

"She's making a weird a face", His son groaned as he sat up straight in the recliner while holding Judith in his arms, "What does this mean?"

"Turn her around", Rick instructed from his place on the couch. Carl held Judith up and turned her to face them; her button nose was wrinkled and her mouth was wide open, revealing her little gums to everyone. Rick chuckled, "I have no idea what she's doing"

"She's going to sneeze", Michonne piped up from the other end of the couch with her feet in Rick's lap, "She did that the other day…Scared the life out of me"

"Really?", Just as Carl lowered her back into the crook of his arm, Judith balled up her fists and sneezed. Carl smirked at her, "Bless you."

"Dad, this one's broken", Andre appeared in front of Rick and held out a toy car to him, "It don' work anymore"

Rick took the car and squinted at it, "What is it meant to do?"

"Go fast", Andre explained as he placed both of his hands on Rick's knees to see what he was going to do, "Like mommy drives"

Rick froze for a brief moment, then looked at Michonne, "That's the second time that he's said something like that to me"

Carl began to laugh while Michonne eyed her son with shock, "Andre, mommy doesn't drive fast? Okay, maybe that one time when we were running late to daycare¬ But that's it"

"I love how casually he feeds me information", Rick sniggered as he picked the boy up and plopped him between himself and Michonne, "And it's usually incriminating stuff"

"He told Marie that all you feed him is jam on a spoon when you guys left the table earlier", Carl continued to chuckle as she let Judith lay against his chest.

"What?", Ricks' face fell blank as he peered down at Andre, "Did you tell Grandma that all I feed you is jam on a spoon?"

Andre stopped snuggling into his seat and shrugged as he looked up at him, "I don' know"

"I made you pancakes this morning and you liked those, didn't you?"

Andre's big brown eyes sailed away from him, "... _Maybe_ …"

Rick stared at the little boy, then asked in a dry tone, "Where are the pancakes, Andre?"

Andre pointed across the room at his Batman backpack, "In there"

Michonne and Carl both found their exchange hilarious while Rick slowly stood up, "I was wondering how you cleared your plate so fast"

"Ah! She's got me!", Carl cried out as Judith latched on to his chin with her tiny mouth, "She's like an octopus¬"

"Mommy! Judy's eating Carl!", Andre tapped his mother on the arm as he alerted her in a panic, "Mommy! Make her stop!"

"She's not eating him, she's just… Tasting him. She's hungry", Michonne chortled as she threw her legs off the chair, "I'll get her a bottle"

Rick picked up Andre's backpack and headed towards the kitchen to clean it, at the same time that Michonne went in search of a bottle. He sighed to her, "I'm starting to wonder if he's hidden food anywhere else in this house"

"It's always a possibility", She replied flatly as she opened the refrigerator door, "So If we get Ants then we know why"

Rick tipped Andre's backpack upside down and emptied three pancakes into the trash, but to his surprise, there was a twenty dollar bill stuck between the discarded breakfast and two more bills fell out of his bag, "What the hell?"

"What is it?"

"Where did he get this money from?", Rick plucked the bills out the trash and held them up to Michonne.

"Where was that? In his backpack?", She held one of Judith's pink bottles in her hand as she shut the door and faced him.

"Yeah", Rick put the cash on the counter, "Either he's been going through your purse when you're not looking or he's got a job that he's not telling us about"

Michonne laughed a little too loudly as she scurried past him, "Yeah... Maybe."

Rick set the backpack down too, then leaned against the stove, "Did you call your mother Carl?"

"Nope.", His son called back as entertained Andre by making his sister move her arms so it looked as though she was dancing.

"Well give her a call. Let her know that you're fed and watered", Rick almost started to laugh himself when he noticed that Carl was making Judith do the robot.

"I noticed that you didn't have any laundry in that duffle bags of yours", Michonne declared curiously as she warmed Judith's bottle, "Am I wrong for thinking that you did it yourself this week?"

"I'll have you know that I have no problem doing my own laundry", Rick pointed out, "I just like bringing them home because then they smell like you"

Michonne gave him a little adoring look, " _Cute_."

"But uh, Andrea offered to take some of my stuff down last week", He explained, "She insisted so I gotta' thank her when I get back"

"Andrea. Of course.", Michonne slowly turned around to face him, "So when do I get to meet your _amazing_ new best friend?"

Rick frowned at her, "I don't have a best friend"

"You said I was your bes' friend!", Andre appeared out of nowhere, standing near the fridge with the corner of his mouth turning downward to show his upset.

Rick exhaled as he peered down at him again, "I'm sorry, Rocket. You are my best friend."

Andre's face smoothed, "Okay. I like being bes' friends."

"I know you do", Rick smirked at him as he turned back to Michonne, "As I was saying, only Andre's my best friend."

"Shane would be just as hurt as Andre if he heard that", She joked.

"Possibly", Rick chuckled, "But no, Andrea's… She's becoming a good friend and I'd love for you two to meet because I think the two of you would get on like a house on fire, but she goes down to Kings County on the weekend to help her sister take care of their mother."

"Oh."

"But I'll try to set somethan' up", He insisted sincerely.

She gave him that fake smile again before she turned around to check on Judith's bottle, "Sounds good"

Rick eyed her back for a few seconds, then slowly nodded his head as he let his gaze fall elsewhere, "Alright."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Michonne panted into her pillow as Rick pumped in and out of her from behind. His breath tickled her neck. They lay on their sides with legs tangled together in the early hours of the morning. He would have to start getting ready to leave soon. She was too exhausted to do anything but lay there, but her hand was placed on top of his as he cupped her breast while they held hands with the other. Their intimacy had changed a lot since Judith's birth, but for the better. He was a lot more affectionate throughout it all and she tried to do the same in return, but his timing was off. If he'd given her just a few more hours sleep then she could have done a whole lot more.

He sat up on his forearm and moved her arm behind him so he had better access to her torso. He stroked up and down her taut stomach with his hand, then cupped her full breast again in his hand. He took her nipple into his mouth and she ran her fingers through his hair. Allowing him to play with her breasts while she was nursing took some getting used to, but he acted mindfully.

He caught her lips in one of his passionate kisses when he climaxed. It was her favorite type of kiss.

She waited for him to finish spewing his load. Ever since she'd opted for long-term birth control, she loved feeling him finish inside of her. It turned her on more than anything else. She didn't orgasm but that didn't bother her because she enjoyed the act the most. However, it always seemed to bother Rick.

"You alright?", He asked breathlessly as he propped himself up above her.

"Fine", She replied lightly as she looked towards the nightstand on his side of the bed, "You've got to start getting ready soon"

His eyes flickered downward, "...Yeah. I know."

She continued to play with the hair at his nape, "...Another week."

"Two more after this one", His eyes darted back up to meet hers, "Then that's it. I'll be home for good"

"Yeah.", She would countdown the seconds if she could, and she wanted to let him know that but those last few weeks were crucial. She didn't want him to lose focus because he was worried about her.

"I can't wait.", He confessed in a whisper.

"You're not the only one", She sighed as she looked up at the ceiling, "...Carl's got a Parent Teacher night this week"

"Yeah?", He sounded surprised to hear that, "...Did Lori tell you that?"

"No, he did. He asked if I was going to come.", She looked back at him, "I don't mind going but… I don't really know if that's _my_ place…"

Rick placed his hand on her stomach, "...Well, I won't be there so you'd be filling in for me. I know Lori could probably handle it on her own but… I don't think it'll be a problem?"

Michonne could think of many reasons why it would most certainly be a problem, "Yeah… Maybe I'll talk to Lori."

"I'll do that.", He insisted, "I have to talk to her about when they're moving anyway."

Michonne slowly nodded, "Alright"

His eyes studied her face, "...You didn't cum."

She smirked as she checked the alarm clock again, "I'll live, Rick"

"That's not the point…", He slipped his hand between her legs and down her slit.

She inhaled deeply when his fingers found her most delicate area, "You haven't got time for…"

Her eyes rolled back into her head when he slipped two digits in her still wet entrance and started rocking his hand up and down. He kissed her from her cheek to her neck, "I'll always make time for this"

He fingered her with pure skill and made her body tremble with ecstasy. She spread her legs wide and arched her back of the bed as she got lost in his touch and just as he started to arouse her further with a sloppy kiss, faint gurgles came from the baby monitor on her nightstand.

His hand stopped moving and her eyes rolled open. She peeked at the device, "Wait…"

"She's up already? It's not even five yet?", Rick sat up on his arm again and squinted at the screen. Judith gurgled some more, then finally started to whimper. Rick sighed, "Yeah, she's up."

Michonne waited until he removed his hand before she sat up and climbed out of bed, "I need to get to her before she wakes Andre up"

"I'll get her", Rick insisted as he started putting his sweatpants on.

"You have to get ready to go, Rick", Michonne grabbed her bathrobe from the closet door and put it on, "It's fine, I'll get her."

"...Yeah. You're right."

MIchonne looked away when she saw a certain expression on Rick's face. She wasn't sure what to call it exactly, but it made her uncomfortable. She had this nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was going on with him but she couldn't pinpoint just what it was. Apart of her worried that he suspected she was working, and another part of her worried that it could be something to do with the 'Amazing Andrea'.

She could think of nothing worse than him learning that she was dancing again. It would crush him and subsequently her, too. To make matters worse, she hated going in there even more now than she did before, but trying to make it through the month on Rick's cheque was virtually impossible, no matter how hard she skimped and saved.

Rick was too proud of a man to talk to about it with. Before he abandoned his Hunter title, he was working day and night, running from one part of the city to another and doing any job he could get his hands on. He promised that he'd take care of them all when he found out she was pregnant and he had stuck to his word, but joining the Police Academy was the move that inadvertently made them all suffer somehow.

She knew that wasn't his intention, far from it in fact and she admired him so much doing what he could for his family, however, it was for that reason that she simply couldn't say that they were struggling. He'd quickly convince himself that he was a failure for letting his family get by on so little and Michonne refused to plant that seed in his mind. As soon as he'd completed his time at the Academy she could leave her days of dancing behind her and he wouldn't have to know anything about their little rough patch.

But If he hadn't suspected that she was secretly working, then she considered that Andrea might be playing a part in his strange mood. He spoke of the other woman freely here and there, and Michonne believed that it was because she was someone he trained beside but it became increasingly clear to her that he admired her for more than just his skills and abilities. She didn't rule out the possibility that it was all completely innocent and she did trust Rick wholeheartedly, but she did wonder about the other woman. Just because he wasn't aware that he was sweet, funny, and unfairly beautiful, didn't mean that nobody else was either.

"She's wide awake", Rick commented as he came back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, "I thought she'd go back to sleep"

"Nope.", Michonne deadpanned as she lay on her side facing Judith in the bed, Her daughter sucked away on her pacifier as she looked around the room and kicked her legs occasionally. Michonne sighed, "I've got two hours of sleeping time left so I'm hoping she's kind to me and falls asleep, too."

Rick laid out his uniform at the foot of the bed, "She probably will."

Michonne watched her boyfriend move around the room, "Have you got everything?"

"Yeah", He insisted, "I double checked last night."

"Good.", She sighed as she let Judith take hold of her pinky finger and shake it around like a rattle, "What's happening with your graduation?"

"...Well, It's on the last day", Rick dropped his towel and put on a pair of boxers, "Your mom actually asked me about that on Saturday"

"I hope that you're looking forward to it", Her eyes rolled up to see him, "You've been doing great"

Rick nodded his head as he put on his vest, "I guess you could say that I am"

Michonne looked away as she asked, "Have you invited Lori?"

He hesitated to ask, "I was thinking about that and I think I should for Carl's sake. He likes it when we all do thangs together, including her…"

"Yeah, I've noticed. He doesn't want her left out and rightly so…", She gave Judith an exaggerated smile when she turned her head to look at her mother, "Hey, pretty girl"

Rick put his pants on and huffed as he looked towards the window, "I'll mention it to her…".

Even if he didn't mention it, she still planned to. She laid there silently as Rick finished putting on his glowing white t-shirt and slung his utility belt over his shoulder. He sat his duffle bag by the door then joined them on the bed.

The way he looked at Judith made her heart sigh. He leaned over her and peppered her nose and forehead in kisses, while Judith squirmed beneath him. She cooed and kicked as though they were playing a game, and he beamed at her in return, "My perfect little girl. You need to promise me that you won't grow anymore."

Michonne smirked, "I wish none of them would grow anymore"

"I still remember when Carl was this small. Hell, I remember when Andre was sleeping face down in his crib"

"Don't remind me", Michonne groaned as she held one of Judith's feet between her fingers.

Rick turned his head and gazed at her with his cloudy blue eyes. He appeared a little more peaceful than he did earlier that morning. His eyes trickled down to her lips, then back up to her eyes again, "I love you"

"I love you, too", She declared easily.

"I'm gonna' see if I can leave on Friday night and come straight here"

Michonne tried not to express how bad an idea she thought that was. She needed to work at the club later that week, so if he returned home earlier than planned then that shift would go out the window. She shook her head slightly, "You're going to be as exhausted as I feel now. Just get some rest and you can drive down in the morning. That's safer."

He gave her that look again and she was reminded of the treacherous guilt knots in her stomach. He nodded his head a little as he looked back down at Judith.

Deceiving to him made her feel low. So low that she couldn't even fathom looking in the mirror at times. She knew she was playing a dangerous game with him and risked destroying any trust he had in her but that would only be if he found out, and she'd do everything in her power to make sure that he didn't.

He left shortly after showering Judith with a few more kisses and sending a few Michonne's way, and she thought that she had time to rest for a while longer but Andre decided that he would wake up also, so her hectic Monday started right on time.

Having Carl for a full week instead of just four days was a nice addition. Andre loved his company and Michonne thought it was great that he got to spend so much time with his sister, but shuttling him to school and Andre to preschool wasn't always as smooth sailing as she wished.

"Mommy! Judith keeps kicking an' punching!", Andre whined from the backseat.

"She's just moving around a lot", Carl replied for Michonne, "Babies do that. I don't know why but they just do."

"Thas' bad", Andre responded in his firmest tone, "You only kick an' punch when-when som'body cuts you off"

Michonne frowned as she peered at her son via the rear-view mirror, "Excuse me? Cuts you off? Who¬ _Who_ told you that?"

"Dad did", Andre answered easily, and Carl burst out laughing from the other side of the back seat.

Michonne groaned as she stared through the windshield, "I should have known"

"That was great", Carl sighed as he calmed down, "Dad does get really mad when somebody cuts him off"

"Understandable", She glanced at her wristwatch as she clutched the steering wheel and she almost gasped when she saw the time, "Oh crap!"

"Oh boy…", Carl muttered loud enough for her to here, "Andre, sit back."

Michonne checked all of her mirrors, then pulled out of the lane she was in and into another lane, then on to a side road. Andre cheered from his car seat, "Yay! Mommy's racing!"

Having spent enough time watching Rick on the road, Michonne could admit that she probably learned to drive the wrong way. Her mother would be appalled if she knew how she'd whip around corners and dive in and out of side streets. Her mother would be appalled if she saw how Rick drove entirely.

She made it to the daycare first and left Judith in the car with Carl while she ran with Andre in her arms to his classroom. Her son loved every moment of it. She then ran back to her car and almost threw herself through the window.

"I hate to say this but we've got eight minutes", Carl commented from the backseat while she strapped herself in, "I actually don't mind if we're late"

"I know you don't, Carl", She shot back dryly as she started the car up again, "Let's go."

One thing Michonne could look forward to throughout the week was those few hours that she had to do whatever she pleased, with Judith in tow. Once she'd cleaned up whatever mess that was left over from breakfast and gotten the household chores out the way, she'd go on a stroll through the park or have friends around for lunch, and sometimes she and Judith would just sit back and watch a movie or two. It was nice, but first, she had to get rid of the boys. She arrived at Carl's school within seven minutes, and she would have breathed a sigh of relief if she didn't see Lori waiting by the buildings main entrance.

"There's my mom", Carl said as he opened the car door.

"Oh yeah. There she is", Michonne tried to sound as optimistic as he did when she turned the engine off.

Michonne liked to think that she and Lori had a friendly and cordial relationship with each other, but sometimes they'd find themselves smiling at each other for an awkwardly long time when they ran out of things to say.

"Good morning", Lori greeted as she approached the car wearing a knee-length floral dress and her hair loose, "I was hoping I'd catch you this morning"

"Hey Mom", Carl greeted back as grabbed his backpack from the floor of the car, "See ya' later Judes"

"We were running a little late", Michonne explained as she looked through the open window at Lori, then Carl, "Have a good Carl"

"Yeah, come on", Lori gave her son a little pat on the back, "Hurry up. I'll give you a call later, Okay?"

"Alright. Bye", Carl slung his bag over his shoulder and trudged up the brick steps to cross the schoolyard.

Lori watched him go then peered back at Michonne through squinted eyes because of the sun, "The school is having a fundraiser soon and they were meant to be having a meeting about it this morning but they canceled… And I have sometime before I have to get to work so I thought I'd wait for you to get here"

Michonne slowly nodded, "A fundraiser?"

"Yeah, in a few weeks I think. I wanted to know how parents can volunteer to help", Lori huffed, "You should sign up if you're free?"

"It sounds good. I'll have to look into it…", Michonne tucked the thought to the back of her mind, "...Um, Rick is probably going to call you later and mention his graduation? It's coming up soon and it would be nice if you can join us"

Lori began to smile, "Oh really? That's great. I'd love to come."

"Great. And I'll also be throwing him a surprise party after so you're more than welcome to come"

"A surprise party too?", Lori's eyebrows sprung up, "How lovely. Does Carl know?"

"No, I haven't told him yet. I'll probably let him know a little closer to the date"

Lori tucked her hair behind her ear as she appeared to hesitate, "...Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, I only ask that because Rick isn't really _that_ kind of person. He doesn't like the attention"

Michonne slowly inhaled, "I know, but I think he's just not used to being thanked for his efforts."

She began to nod her head, "...Well, count me in. Maybe I'm wrong and Rick would love that."

Michonnes cheeks started to hurt from smiling, "I hope so"

Lori's eyes traveled to the back of her vehicle, "Is the baby awake? Can I take a peak?"

"Yeah, sure"

Lori opened the car door and kept a friendly distance as she peered at Judith, "Oh, just look at her! She's still so small!"

"With a big appetite"

"Of course", Lori chuckled, "She really looks like you doesn't she? I can't see a hint of Rick anywhere"

Michonne almost frowned at the second part of her comment, "Uh, yeah… She definitely does look more like me but that hasn't stopped her from being a complete daddy's girl"

"I can imagine", Lori closed the door gently, "She really is beautiful though. How are the boys with her? I know Carl adores her since he's always talking about his 'Baby sister'..."

Michonne heart warmed, "Yeah, they're doing good. Still getting used to her but… no complaints so far."

"That's great", Lori grinned at her as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Well let me know about the graduation and I'll make a note of it. If you need any help then just give me a call"

"I will, thanks."

She hoped that she wouldn't regret telling Lori about her surprise for Rick. It was something that she'd been planning meticulously in previous weeks and she wanted it to be a joyful event for him, however, she knew it wouldn't be easy. He preferred to be behind the scenes and didn't like being fussed over, but she was too proud of him to let that moment go unnoticed.

After saying her goodbyes to Lori, she set off to run her errands, which included grocery shopping, paying bills and taking Judith for one of her many check-ups. She had yet to figure out what needed to be done for the week and how she'd get it done. With Carl home, she'd have to sneak around because he'd often be in his room at the end of the night but it didn't mean he was asleep, so sneaking out to go to work or trying to make arrangements for Rick's party wouldn't be as simple. She also had to be mindful of her own son for obvious reasons.

They arrived back home around noon and just in time to, as Maggie was waiting outside her front door with arms open wide, "Where's my little bean?!"

"Take her", Michonne had grocery bags lining one arm while carrying Judith in her car seat in the other, "Please"

"I got her", Maggie took the car seat and began to squeal, "Hey there, bean! Look how big you're getting!"

"You look great", Michonne admired her friend's white blouse and navy pants, "Very nice"

"Thanks. I wanted to look like a grown-up for that interview"

"You certainly do", Michonne rummaged in her purse and pulled out her keys, "God, I need an assistant or something¬"

"I can't wait to get you out of this thing and give you tummy kisses!", Maggie continued behind her, "You sweet little¬ Hey, wait a minute… Her eyes look blue? Are they getting blue?"

"You're not the first person to say that", Michonne shoved the door open with her foot.

"Well, looks like Rick did help after all", Maggie snickered.

Michonne almost sprinted to the kitchen area and dumped the bags on the floor, "I swear, we need to start looking for apartments on the ground floor… With a garage… We just need a house"

"You're free!", Maggie scooped Judith out of the car seat and on to her chest, "I've missed cuddling her"

"I can see that"

"I try not to when Peanut's around because I don't wanna' make him jealous", Maggie shut the front door with her foot, "I think that he thinks that I'm betraying him"

"He also thinks that Judith's an intruder so…", Michonne shrugged as she kicked off her boots, "I wouldn't worry what he's thinking right now"

"God, she's so adorable", Maggie made her way to the counter and took a seat on one of the stools, "How's your morning going?"

Michonne scoffed, "Neverending. How'd your job interview go?"

"Great, I think. I really hope I get it but I haven't even told daddy that I want to move out here, yet.", Maggie huffed as she rocked Judith from side to side, "I wanted to mention the idea to him last night but he was busy"

"Does he think that you want to drive back and forth from here to town every day?", Michonne frowned as she asked the question, then began unpacking her purchases.

"He's going through 'empty nest syndrome' because Beth's up here for college… I was actually planning on checking an apartment later on, do you wanna' come with?"

"What time?"

"Around four?"

Michonne stilled as she thought about it, "I'd have to bring the whole clan with me"

"Bring 'em. We can get something to eat after", Maggie insisted as she ran her hand over Judith's curls, "They need to get used to seeing me regularly again"

"Of course. They'd love that."

"I hope so", Her friend sighed as she watched her move around the kitchen, "How's Rick doing?"

Whenever someone asked about Rick, Michonne would internally groan, "Fine. Just fine. He left on time this morning"

"Uh huh? That's good…", A wave of silence passed through them both, then Maggie asked, "How's… _things_ …"

"Just as weird as they were before", She answered dryly as she placed her hands on the counter and faced her, "...He told me something over the weekend that made me feel…Off"

"What?", Maggie leaned in closer.

"...Andrea did his laundry from him last week…"

Maggie sat back with her eyebrows raised, "His laundry? She washed them for him?"

Michonne nodded her head, "Yeah."

Her friend seemed puzzled, "That's not right"

"That's what I thought, but he said it like it meant nothing so I didn't say anything¬"

"That's something", Maggie muttered the words as she looked away, "That _really_ is something¬"

"But you know Rick… He probably didn't think anything of it", Michonne crossed her arms over her chest as she thought about it a countless time, "And she might not have either? I mean, they're spending so much time together, night and day throughout the week so maybe I'm just being paranoid for no reason and it's really innocent?"

Maggie tipped her head to one side to indicate that she was considering her theory, "Maybe? You could be right…"

"I better be right", Michonne raked her hands through her locks as she went back to her task, "Just a few more weeks and that's all"

"Oh, hows the top secret party planning going?"

"Stressful. The bar wants the money up front because I picked the 'platinum package' so I have to work this week", Michonne stopped again when she realized that what she was about to say couldn't be said in passing, "...I was thinking about going on stage"

Maggie stared her, "Come again?"

"On stage…", Michonne repeated quietly, "...The other girls don't just dance, they usually strip too and Paula said she made five hundred dollars on the stage then seven hundred giving private dances after so she probably took home a thousand dollars after paying Carol¬"

"Hold on a second… A thousand dollars? She made a thousand dollars in one night?", Maggie narrowed her eyes at Michonne, "...And she did what exactly?"

"She gets _naked_ , Maggie"

Her friend continued to stare at her, "...I wish I could dance"

Michonne cracked a smile, "Stop it."

"You think you could go up there and get naked in front of everybody?"

"God, no. The thought alone scares me… but I really want to throw this party for him and we need to have money put aside for after graduation", Michonne bit her lip for a moment, "I can pay off the bar this week... Then give the stage a shot so I can start saving up…"

"I get it… but…", Maggie cringed, "It doesn't seem like you really want to do that, though"

"I don't.", She replied easily, "And I can't wait until the day when I can just leave all this stuff behind"

Maggie's expression changed into something more pitiful, "It'll come soon enough."

"Yeah", Michonne huffed as she reached for another bag off the ground, "Very soon."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

"...And I was¬ I was watching it but mommy covered my eyes and I didn't get to see what happened to Simba's dad!"

Rick leaned against the brick wall as he held the phone to his ear, "Simba's dad went on a vacation. That's all that happened."

Andre was quiet for a few seconds before asking, "Then why was he in the clouds?"

Rick narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember what happened in the children's movie, "Well… Because It's cheaper to appear in the clouds… long distance calls are very expensive¬ But anyway, I hope you're helping mommy take care of your baby sister?"

"No.", Andre replied definitely, "She keeps waking me up"

Rick snickered, "She's gonna' do that every now and then"

"...I think we need to give her back to the hospital now"

"We can't. They have a 'no returns' policy so we have to keep her."

"...Buh' I left my shoe at the hospital before, and me and mommy went back and got it b'cause they kept it"

"We're not giving your sister back to the hospital, Andre", Rick deadpanned, just as he heard a faint wail coming from the phone. Andre sighed and Rick chuckled, "She's a baby now but one day she's gonna' look up to you and be proud to have you as her big brother"

"Buh' I didn' ask for a baby sister..."

Rick internally groaned, "I think it's time for you to start getting ready for bed so how about you give mommy the phone and I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay"

Rick noticed a familiar face strolling down the hall when he said, "Goodnight. I love you."

"Lo' you too, dad..."

Andrea held up a box of playing cards as she slowed down. She mouthed to him, 'Game?'

He nodded and mouthed back, 'Gimme a minute'

The blonde gave him a thumbs up just as Michonne spoke on the phone, "He's been trying to convince me to take her back to the hospital all evening"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that. I actually enjoy having a daughter.", He heard her snigger at his joke, "You doing alright?"

"Yeah, fine. Today I learned that Judith has come to the conclusion that she likes to be held for at least twenty three hours out of the day so I've been trying to work my way around that"

"Carl said the same thing. She probably just wants some company"

"Yep. She does. Constant company… How's your day going?"

"Good. We had a few drills this morning then had a few classes", He raked his fingers through his hair, "I'll probably stay up for a little while then hit the hay"

"...I plan to do the same, right after I clean this place up…", She paused for a moment, "...Maggie told me that she saw something about a show coming up soon…"

Rick stared at the painted brick wall of him, "...A show?"

"Yeah. Playing at the theater."

"...A show you wanna' see?", He perked up a little.

"No. Not at all… Mike's in it"

Ricks entire face tightened, "Is that so?"

"Yeah.", She sighed, "...I don't know why but that really¬"

"Pissed you off?"

"Yeah."

"I understand", Rick didn't think about Andre's father often if he could help it. He didn't play any part in Andre's life and he preferred it that way. Mike had shown everyone that he was immature and unreliable, so Rick felt that the best thing for him to do would be to stay out of the way, but he knew Michonne always felt differently, "Don't worry about it"

"I know. I'm not. I just think it's a little ridiculous that he can¬"

"You sounded so much like your mother just then"

She paused, and he knew she was probably a little offended but reluctantly giggled, "Well you know what I was going to say is true"

"I do. But I don't want you to waste any time thinking about him. He let you know what his priorities were and Andre wasn't one of them, so unless he decides that he's ready to act like a father and he tries to get in contact with you, he should stay gone"

"I know…", She made a little growl, "I'd prefer if he'd stay gone"

"I think you know that I would too. I don't want him coming back around Andre and letting him down or anythan' like that. The boy already has high expectations for the people around him"

"You can say that again."

"If you want… I can sneak into one of his shows and catch him off guard backstage?", Rick began to smile when he heard his girlfriend laugh. For some reason or the other, Michonne sounded so much more relaxed when he spoke to her throughout the week, and it made their conversations a bittersweet experience for Rick. He was so desperate to have their relationship back on stable ground that he was willing to ignore the fact that she was more relaxed because of his absence. He declared to her, "I miss you"

"I miss¬", Judith began to wail again, but louder this time. Rick heard Michonne whisper to herself, "Oh boy"

"Do what you gotta' do. I'll call you tomorrow"

"Yeah. Bye"

"Bye Michonne."

He hung up the phone but didn't immediately move from his spot on the wall. He hovered around, staring at the wall in front of him as he thought about his family, particularly Michonne. He was tempted to call her back but thought better of it.

The halls of the academy were lively in the evenings. It was the only time of the day that recruits had the chance to relax and unwind from an intense day of training. Rick usually preferred to retire to his room, and so did Andrea. She was already sitting on his bed when he entered the dorm he shared with another person that Rick considered to be a friend.

"Morgan's refusing to join us in a friendly game", Andrea informed him playfully as Rick kicked off his boots.

Morgan was sitting at the desk on the other side of the room. He glanced back her and smirked, "There's nothing friendly about playing with you"

"He's right. You're a little too competitive", Rick rubbed the back of his neck as he joined her on the bed.

"Exactly", Morgan agreed, "And you're a mean player"

"Alright, alright", Andrea rolled her eyes, "I get it. You're both too _chicken_ "

"Of course", Morgan shook his head with despair as he looked back at Rick, "There wasn't a queue for the phone out there, was there?"

Rick shook his head, "Nah. Just me"

"Good. I need to give Penny a call", Morgan pulled the pen from behind his ear and dropped it on the desk, then began making his way towards the door, "I'll be back to witness the bloodbath in a little while"

"Very funny!", Andrea called back dryly as she shuffled the cards in her hands. Her attention went back to Rick, "So how's the family doing?"

"Good. They're all… Good.", Rick watched her skilled shuffling technique, "Carl was telling me how school went… then Andre took the phone off of him to lodge a complaint about his mother and sister"

"Nice", Andrea chuckled, "I can't wait to meet them"

"I can't wait to show them off. They're great boys… And Judith's just my perfect little girl", He smiled as he averted his gaze, "Every time I go back home I feel like she's doing somethan' new. She's smiling more and I even got to see her roll over by herself. I think it was by accident, but she did it"

"Aw", Andrea started dealing the cards, "She certainly sounds adorable. Is she still in that weird stage that babies go through where they look like potatoes?"

A little laugh burst from Rick's lips, "She's her mother's clone. She might have my eyes but I still think it's a little too early to tell...By the way, how's your sister doing?"

"She's doing great. I'm gonna' give her a call later"

"Good... What about your mom?"

Andrea struggled a little, "Not great. Her doctor suggested that we get her in a special home for the last couple of months so that she's comfortable"

Rick almost gave her a sympathetic look, but then he remembered that Andrea wasn't the kind of person that appreciated pity, "Yeah... Are you gonna' move down there when we're done here?"

She snorted, "I'm gonna' have to but I don't want to. I hate that place."

"I don't blame you", Rick picked up his cards and studied them.

She eyed him for a moment, "When was the last time you went down there?"

"...One of my last jobs as a hunter. That was the only reason I ever went back, otherwise, I wouldn't."

"What about the kids? You guys haven't taken them?"

He frowned at the idea, "No, and I'm determined to keep it that way"

Andrea didn't know much about his reason to avoid his hometown and she only ever questioned him to a certain extent, so she simply nodded her head at his answer, then started looking at her own cards, "Well, they ain't missing much anyway."

"Yeah…"

"So have you thought about that position yet?", Andrea crossed her legs in front of her as she placed a card on the bed in between them, "I think you should take it. I would."

Rick made a little groan as looked at his own cards, "I have…"

"And?..."

"It's a tough one. I gotta' talk to Michonne about it some more", He admitted candidly.

"...Well, if you ask _me_ ¬"

"I'm not."

She threw one of the cards at him in retaliation, " _If_ you ask me, I think that you should do it. I know it'll be a little different than this and you'll be away from your family for longer but we're almost done here and this was six months. Look how quickly it went by?"

Rick put down a card between them, "I know"

"It's a great opportunity. You didn't go to them, they came to you. And you deserve it too! I mean, you're obviously not better than me and I expect to hear from them any day now…"

He rolled his eyes at her ever-growing ego, "I'm sure they're running over here to sign you up right this second-"

"Listen, do you know how many people in here would love to say the FBI approached them about a job?", Andrea gave him a disbelieving look as she snatched up a card from the remaining deck, "None of those guys out there would shut up about it!"

"I know that too, and don't think that I don't recognize the magnitude of the offer but-"

"You're a family man. I know", Andrea eyed her cards and then threw another one down, "But you have to see that this might be the best move you can make for your career. Your family will understand that and they'll benefit from it too when you're bringing in the big bucks"

Rick pretended to concentrate on his cards but he was really thinking about the job opportunity and what it could mean for him and his family. Andrea was right, it would be one of the best moves he could make for his career, but he was afraid that it wouldn't be worth it if it did further damage to his relationship with Michonne. She didn't seem too pleased with the idea when he first mentioned it and he didn't want to give her another reason to be distant towards him. In fact, he didn't want to give her another reason to leave him entirely.

He left the thought alone for the rest of the week and focussed on returning home for the weekend. He had two weeks left at the academy and he was counting down the minutes until he could pack his bag and leave the campus for good. He had enjoyed the training program for the most part; he had improved both mentally and physically, he was guaranteed to start a new job once he graduated, and he'd also made bonds for life with some of the people around him, but Andrea had called it right when she said he was a family man, and he was feeling even more protective over them after Michonne had mentioned Mike.

He liked to believe that he was the only father figure Andre had ever known because he had always been consistent with him. When he first started calling him 'dad' he was simply mimicking Carl, but Rick was sure that he knew what the word meant now and he still continued to call him by the name, and Rick liked that because he did see him as his son. Mike had the potential to change that if he reappeared.

"I think we should get the boys together one of these weekends", Morgan suggested to him early that Saturday morning as they walked through campus, "Have a picnic in the park or something… I'm sure Penny and Michonne will get along great because they sound alike"

"They do", Rick smirked as he adjusted his hold on his duffle bag, "What about next weekend? We can do somethan' then"

"Yeah? That sounds good. Maybe try to get Andrea and her sister to join us."

"Sounds good to me. Carl will be back with us so it would be a good time to do somethan'...", Rick glanced at him, "I'm sure he'd love to meet Duane. So would Andre… And Judith might just nibble on his shirt"

Morgan laughed at his joke, "I'm sure she would. I'll talk it over with Penny… And maybe convince her to make those baby back ribs I was telling you about"

"I wouldn't want her to go all out for us", Rick insisted politely, though he was interested in tasting his wife's cooking. Morgan spoke about her specialty dishes so much and with such detail that Rick had conjured up tasty visuals in his mind, "But if you can convince her… then I'd be more than grateful"

Morgan gave him a pat on the back as he grinned, "Of course. I think I might have to buy her something nice to seal the deal"

"I think _I_ might have to buy her somethan' nice, too", Rick snickered as they approached the campus parking lot. The sky was starting to brighten up and the birds were chirping away in the trees but they were used to it. A lot of recruits left the academy early on the weekends and they often saw each other on the way to their vehicles. Rick huffed as he adjusted his trusted baseball cap on his head, "Are you prepared for that written exam?"

"I hope so. I'm studying for it as much as I can but I'm not looking forward to it. I heard that they're pretty strict at the Atlanta department"

"I heard the same thang. I have to go on and do mine a week after we're done here"

"Me too", Morgan sighed, "You better start studying, too. Maybe ask Michonne for some help since she's the one with a degree, right?"

"That would be great if the younger kids would allow me to steal her away for an hour or two", Rick almost scoffed, "They wouldn't"

"Of course not", They slowed down when they arrived at Rick's truck first. Morgan glanced at him again, "Well, don't forget to ask her about next weekend"

"I will do. Drive safe", It was Rick's turn to pat him on the back, "And have a good weekend"

"Yeah, all the same to you."

Morgan left him to get into his truck and Rick quickly retrieved his cell phone from his glove compartment and switched it on. He always left it there dure in the week so he wouldn't succumb to temptation and call Michonne multiple times a day. When he first started at the academy she'd send him an array of messages; mostly pictures of her doing something with Carl and Andre, but also sweet little messages telling him how much she missed him and loved him. They stopped after Judith was born and he understood why, but he still hoped that she'd start doing it again.

He did receive a message from Lori though, informing him of their new address and inviting him to see it, which he didn't mind since it was her fresh start. He always felt so strange stepping into the house he shared with her and he was sure that she must have felt the same way. In spite of the way that she toyed with his emotions for so long after they separated, he truly hoped that she would find her own happiness too. She seemed to be doing just fine on her own but Lori had a way of plastering a smile on her face and pretending as though she everything was perfect when in fact, that wasn't the case at all.

As soon as he arrived inside his home, he kicked off his boots and left his bag by the door. Judith liked to wake up at the crack of dawn and he only had a short time left before she woke up the entire house, so he quietly checked on all the kids before venturing into his own room; Andre was fine, Judith was fine, and even though he only saw one of Carl's long limbs sticking out of his bed, he assumed he was fine too.

Michonne and Andre both had a habit of completely burying themselves underneath the sheets, so Rick had to slither into his bed and fish around before he found her. She gasped when he pulled her towards him, "Oh my God!"

"Shhh", He whispered, "It's me"

"You scared me", She groaned as she rolled on her back to look at him through narrowed eyes.

"I'm sorry", He kissed her cheek, "You alright?"

"...Fine", She placed her hand on top of his and held it against her stomach, "Did you just get in?"

"Just now", He kept kissing her until he caught her full lips with his. He immediately tasted peppermint, which was a pleasant but confusing surprise.

She felt so soft in his hands that he started caressing her skin underneath her t-shirt but she quickly stopped him, "Save that for later"

He paused, "...Later?"

"Yes, Rick. You just got here so go to sleep"

He propped himself up on his forearm and looked down at her, "I think we can spare seven minutes"

She looked humored, " _Seven_? Really?"

Rick's mouth fell agape and his head jerked back out of offense, "Well excuse me, but I'll have you know that you're not the only one that's worn out around here¬"

Michonne covered her mouth as she giggled quietly, "I didn't mean it like that, Rick. I meant that you spend seven minutes warming up, then another seven minutes talking¬"

"Oh", His ego remained intact. He grinned and pulled her closer, "I'll trim it down this time…"

One thing he could be grateful for was that he and Michonne were still intimate, but even that part of their life was beginning to suffer. She was still very receptive and he could see that she was enjoying their sex as much as she was, but making her orgasm wasn't as easy as it used to be, even when he did all the things that he knew she liked. He'd try to hold himself back for as long as he could but that alone was an exhausting task.

That morning would be no different to any other time. He kissed and groped the damp spot between her legs, and when the time was right he placed himself above her. He had always enjoyed looking into her eyes when he pushed his throbbing shaft inside of her but it just wasn't the same. She couldn't hold eye contact with him for too long anymore, especially when they were having sex. Instead, she pulled him in for a kiss and kept him there. He tried to ignite some kind of fever between them by building up a nice rhythm, rocking his hips against hers so he was always buried in her warmth, and she rewarded him with a few more moans but not much else.

His hand slithered up her t-shirt and freed one of her noticeably fuller breasts while she combed her fingers through his hair. She gasped and arched her back off the mattress when he took her swollen nipple in his mouth. A sweet taste tickled his tongue and her breathing changed. She spread her legs wider and he took that as an indication that she was really worked up. He sucked harder and let his teeth graze her skin. She tugged the hair at his nape when she breathed, "Oh, Rick!"

He released her bud and kissed his way back up to her neck, then whispered in her ear, "You ready?"

"Yeah", She sounded desperate, and it made his knees weak.

He leaned over her on extended arms and picked up the pace, watching her squirm from his skilled thrusts. A crooked smile flashed across his face. Seeing her so excited fueled him; he pulled his glistening member out as far as he could, then rammed it back in until he was balls deep in her heat. She was cracking under his pressure and had to bite her own finger to stop herself from crying out loud. Rick loved every second of it. He ignored the tension building in his loins and kept his focus on her; he knew she was close, he could almost smell it in the air, and if the bedroom door hadn't creaked open at such a pivotal moment, then those lost couple of minutes would have ended blissfully.

By the time Andre had managed to open the door wide enough, Michonne had shoved Rick off of her and pulled her t-shirt back down to cover herself.

Her son rubbed his eyes with his fists as he trudged over to the bed and climbed in. He curled up in a ball, taking up the tiniest spot on his mother's side of the mattress.

MIchonne sat up and whispered down to Rick, "Sorry!"

Rick slowly picked himself off the floor and sighed as he perched on the edge of the bed. Andre had already fallen back to sleep. Rick didn't dare move him back to his own bed; if Andre woke up and saw him then he definitely wouldn't go back to sleep, so Rick had to accept defeat.

He gave Michonne a knowing look as he whispered, "...And you _still_ don't think that we need lock's on the doors?"

"No.", She huffed as she started looking around for her underwear on the bed.

Rick blew out a breath as he looked down at his still hardened self, "I'm inclined to feel differently, Michonne"

She moved around under the covers as she slipped her underwear back on, "Lay down and get some rest, Rick"

He had no choice but to do as she said. The opportunity was long gone, and he had no choice but to get up and have a shower, leaving Michonne to fall back to sleep with Andre.

He adored his family and being home with them was the highlight of his days, but not getting any time alone with Michonne was causing further strain on their relationship. Sure they bonded over the children, and they were a strong unit altogether, but he believed that having some time to themselves would give him the opportunity to show her that he was still very much invested in them, and he hoped to see the same from her.

Judith was wide awake when he checked on her after he'd changed his clothes, so he was rewarded with some much-needed father/daughter time. He was so in love with her that he couldn't stop showering her with kisses when she was in his arms. He was being truthful when he said he enjoyed having a daughter, and he'd always wanted more kids at one point in his life so her presence was truly treasured by him.

"Now let's see if you're gonna' drink this", Rick sat down on the couch with her in one arm a fresh bottle in the other hand, "I hope you do"

Judith stared up at him as she sucked on her pacifier; her gentle features made a serious expression, and with her tiny fingers intertwined together, she looked as if she were contemplating taking over the world.

"Let's get this out the way", He gently plucked her pacifier from her mouth and her face immediately started to crumble, but before she could start to wail her little heart out, he replaced it with the bottle. He smirked at her, "That was close. We don't wanna' wake up your brothers"

No sooner had the words left his mouth, did he hear the bedroom door open and quiet little footsteps slap across the floor, followed by louder ones. Andre appeared first, and he was wide awake this time around, "...Mommy's making waffles!"

No one would believe that he'd climbed into his mother's bed less than an hour ago. He was bright and bushy tailed, while Michonne came around the corner with far less optimism, but still hummed in agreement as she pushed her locks back from her face, "Yeah. Waffles."

"Do you wanna' take her? I'll make them", Rick offered.

She shook her head tiredly, "No, it's okay. I got it."

"Alright", Rick watched Andre hurry towards him and climb on the couch beside him. The boy was all smiles until he saw Judith, then he huffed with disappointment. Rick gave him a warning look, "Be nice. She's not stinky right now."

Andre sniffed the air, and when he couldn't smell anything he picked his sister's next flaw, "She kicks too much"

"You probably did too when you were a baby"

Andre shook his head as he spoke adamantly, "No! I was a good baby!"

Rick narrowed his eyes at him, "That's some impressive memory you have there"

"Oh, shoot!", Michonne hissed from the kitchen.

Rick peered back at her from over his shoulder, "What's wrong?"

She huffed and puffed as she grabbed a handful of paper towels from the countertop, "Nothing, I just spilled the milk"

He eyed her from where he sat, "...You sure you don't want me to take over?"

"It's fine, Rick", She insisted, then said in a quieter tone, "I've managed through worse"

And there it was, one of the few passing comments that she made that made Rick feel guilty about leaving her to raise the kids alone during the week. He tried to be rational and blame it on tiredness, so he pretended that he hadn't heard it, "...Did you have anythan' you needed to do today?"

She blew out a breath, "Andre needs new clothes because he's growing out of everything, so I need to go shopping for him, and for Carl. He needs new bedding because the one in there is all washed out…And my mom's coming by later to help with my hair"

"Well, why don't I take Carl and Andre?", He suggested, "You can stay here with Judith and wait for your mom to get here"

"You don't have to. We can all just go together"

"...Sounds like you don't trust me to do a little shopping on my own"

He heard her smirk, "That's not why"

"Why don't we ask Rocket?", Rick turned his attention back to Andre, who was trying to change the channel on the TV by pressing every single button on the remote, "Andre, do you wanna' go shopping with just me, you and Carl, or should we bring Judith¬"

"No Judith", Andre ejected quickly.

Rick looked back at Michonne, "See?"

"That wasn't a fair question", Michonne gave him an unimpressed look as she held a mixing bowl in her hand.

"But he still made his choice" He gave her a lopsided smile, "Don't worry, I'll find him somethan' nice"

"It doesn't have to be nice, it has to be durable, Rick", She clarified, "Stuff that can last and that won't tear easily"

"So buy him some good ol' fashioned medieval armor? Got it.", He managed to make her roll her eyes and smirk again, "I'll give Lori a call and tell her to meet us somewhere to pick up Carl… And speaking of the devil"

Carl came around the corner in a similar fashion to Michonne; with absolutely no enthusiasm. His hair was a tousled mess and his eyelids were so low that he looked as though he was still sleeping. He groaned his greeting before throwing himself down in the armchair.

"Good morning to you too", Rick eyed his oldest, "What time did you get to sleep last night?"

Carl groaned again instead of speaking.

Rick looked down at Andre, "And that's why it's important to go to sleep at bedtime, or else you wake up like that"

Andre's big brown eyes found Carl, and without missing a beat he simply said, "Mommy wakes up like that"

Rick lowered his voice, " _Exactly_ "

"I heard that!", Michonne snapped from the kitchen area, causing Rick and Carl to snicker quietly.

It would have been nice for them all to spend some time together in the city but Rick figured that he'd actually be helping if he let Michonne relax at home with Judith while he took the boys shopping. She did seem grateful before they left later that morning, so he was on the right track. He wondered if that was what he needed to do to lighten the load. He always helped with the children when he returned home on the weekend but he questioned if that was enough.

He had to put a hold on his thoughts when his task for the day began. Finding clothes for Andre should have been simple, but he had to keep durability in mind because the little boy was very active and prone to chew on his clothes when boredom struck. And he couldn't just buy for one child either.

"I like this", Carl held up a black t-shirt in front of himself and tilted his head to one side as he eyed it, "Can I get it?"

Rick was only a few feet away, looking at a rail of clothing for younger boys. He glanced at his son, then the shirt he held up, "You've been over there for ten minutes and that's the only thang you found?"

"I don't like anything else", Carl shrugged.

"Dad, can I get it?", Andre popped up beside Rick and he held up a pair of blue and red sunglasses.

"Spider-man sunglasses?", Rick raised his eyebrow at him.

"Yeah", Andre unfolded them and pushed them onto his face.

Rick chuckled when Andre flashed him a goofy smile to show off his new frames. He gave in quickly, "Alright fine, you can get the glasses and you can get the shirt"

Andre grinned as he started to wander away, "Yes!"

"Stay close by", Rick called after him.

Carl threw his shirt over his shoulder and leaned on a cement beam near his father, "So I was thinking about what I wanna' do for my birthday this year…"

Rick picked up a red t-shirt from the rack and began inspecting it, "Is that so?"

"Yeah. I actually wanted to have a party…"

"That sounds good", Rick tugged at the t-shirt to test out the material.

"Really?", Carl began to smile from ear to ear.

"Yeah. You're gonna' be thirteen. That's a milestone age", Rick looked in his son's direction, "And if you get yourself a job now, then¬"

"You're not even funny, dad", Carl stated dryly.

"Well _Michonne_ thinks I'm funny", Rick sniggered as he held out the t-shirt to his son, "Hold this for a second"

"Can you at least think about it?"

"I'll talk to your mother and Michonne and we'll see what we can do. I'm not promising anythan' so¬"

"Dad?", Carl pushed off the wall with alert in his eyes as he pointed beyond Rick.

Rick's head immediately spun around and he backed away from the rail. He didn't have to look far to see his girlfriend's son; he was standing near some mannequins in the middle of the walkway, and a dark-skinned man was stood opposite him, staring at him with complete awe. Andre was staring back at the man that had fathered him curiously, but hadn't moved an inch. Rick moved closer to the two of them and called out, "Andre!"

Andre looked in Rick's direction, then continued to look at Mike as he hurried back to them.

"Come here", Carl held out his hands and Andre ran right into his hold, while Rick began his glaring contest with the father as he stalked up to him.

"If you wanna' get that close to him again then you better go through his mother first", He warned, in a low and firm voice as he parked himself directly in front of him, "Do you understand that?"

Mike adjusted his leather jacket as he looked past Rick. He happened to notice that the younger man looked a lot more mature since he'd last seen him; he was sporting facial hair and dressed like he was heading somewhere a formal. His attitude hadn't changed though, "I want to see him. Give me her number."

"If she wanted you to have it, then you'd have it", Rick cocked his head to one side to block his view, "So until you get that all figured out, you stay gone"

Mikes fierce brown eyes locked eyes with his, but he said nothing more, and Rick didn't stick around long enough to give him a chance to say anything else. Not wanting to make a scene, he turned back around and marched back to his boys without looking back, but knew he had to let Michonne know what was coming their way.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I must warn you guys - expect so much drama from this fic, (Well from anything I do, really) and can I just stress that I'm always going to be a fan of Richonne. They will always be end game in any of my stories and I think that when you touch on certain story lines, people might get the impression that you hate them - I don't. I love them both so much (I actually Michonne a little more than Rick but that's besides the point) so when I start to do things like I've done in this chapter please keep the above in mind. Hope you enjoy! (But maybe don't drag me if you don't enjoy it, lol).

\- Bae

 **Chapter 5:**

"She woke up", Michonne dropped her bag to the floor and closed the front door with her foot when she arrived home.

"She did", Maggie confirmed in a whisper as laid on the couch with a sleeping Judith tucked neatly on her chest, "She made the cutest little cry, so I gave her a bottle and she went right back to sleep"

Michonne pulled off her sweatshirt, "She didn't really have that much earlier"

Maggie's tired green eyes fell to Michonnes chest area, "You're leaking."

She peered down at herself and sighed when she noticed the damp patches on her tank top, "I knew it"

"...Took Andre a while to finally go to sleep. He wanted me to reenact the Lion King with his stuffed animals"

"Please tell me that you skipped past Mufasa's death?"

"I did", Maggie smirked, "And replaced it with a civil disagreement that takes place in a coffee shop over a latte. He didn't like that."

"I prefer your version", Michonne took a seat on the coffee table nearby, "Tonight was a bad night"

"Really?... Have you paid Rick's party off yet?"

"Yeah, thankfully I did that last week… Now I'm just squirreling away whatever I make over these last two weeks."

Maggie gently smoothed her hand over Judith's dark curls, "How much are you trying to raise?"

Michonne shrugged just a little as she stared at her daughter mindlessly, "...I don't know... I'd have a better idea if I knew when he's starting work at the police department"

"So that FBI job is off the cards?", Maggie froze when Judith squirmed for a moment, then settled back to sleep.

"It better be", Michonne tried not to growl her words but the job prospect annoyed her too much, "I don't think I can go through with all this for another six or seven months… I'd lose my mind"

"And I wouldn't blame you", Maggie started to stroke Judith's back again, then started to smile, "I hope I get to be a mom someday. Outside of the screaming, crying, tantrums and poop¬"

"And puke."

" _And_ puke… kids are pretty fascinating. And cute."

"Very cute", Michonne agreed, "I think you'll be a great mom. You've had lots of practice, and the kids adore you… And If you do have some babies then I can finally repay you with a ton of babysitting"

"Oh trust me; I'll be dropping them off at the door and speeding off into the sunset"

Michonne smirked, "I'm looking forward to it."

She was unbelievably grateful to have someone like Maggie as a friend. Whenever her sister, Beth, wasn't available to take care of her kids for the night then she'd volunteer to take on the task, but Michonne wished that she wouldn't have to have a secret job in the first place.

Lying to Rick was tiring and she didn't think she could keep it up any longer. She knew that he was suspicious of her behavior, but he was still very much in the dark to what she was actually doing. She battled with the idea of finally coming clean but too much time had passed, and if she could just make it until the next week then she wouldn't have to worry. He'd be back home with them and she could finally throw her dancing past away for good.

The next morning was a hectic one and a reminder of why she'd like to have him back in the home; she had to drop Andre to daycare then race across town to give Carl his gym bag that he'd left at their home. The pre-teen was obviously very comfortable with his duo living situation that he would leave an abundance of important things at their home, and Michonne was always the one to return it to him.

"...Why can't I see your big brother anywhere?", She narrowed her eyes as she gazed across the sea of kids funneling their way into the school building.

Judith cooed from the backseat as if she were replying to her mother's question.

"I think we're going to have to get out", Michonne said, and quickly pulled into the nearest available parking space, "You can get some fresh air and kick your legs around"

Judith cooed again, but this time with much more enthusiasm. Her personality was starting to show, and she was proving to be quite the happy-go-lucky character when she was in a good mood of course.

Michonne grabbed Carl's gym bag from the trunk of her car, then plucked her excited daughter from her car seat. They didn't have to walk far to see Carl, and unfortunately for her, Lori was right beside him.

Michonne had to prepare herself for the occasional backhanded compliment that was coming her way, "Hey! There you are"

"Hey", Carl greeted back as they approached each other, "You got it"

"Thank you so much for bringing it by", Lori smiled and tucked her overgrown bangs behind her ear, "I would have stopped by in the week but I've just been so busy with this fundraiser"

"It's no problem", Michonne handed the bag to Carl, "No problem at all"

"Hey Judes", Carl took the bag and dropped it on the floor between his legs, then held out his hands for the infant, "She looks happy"

Michonne handed her over, "She's in a very vocal mood this morning. Testing out those lungs."

"Oh, isn't she gorgeous", Lori took hold of Judith's hand and tilted her head to inspect her, "Hey there, sweetie…"

"Does she still have my baseball cap?", Carl's voice cracked when he asked the question. Even though Michonne saw Carl every other week, she was starting to notice that he was losing his 'boyish' look; he was definitely getting taller, and his features weren't as childish as she remembered. Puberty was well and truly creeping up on him.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so", Michonne cringed, "It's her favorite thing to chew on right now"

He chuckled and rubbed her back, "It's okay. She can have it"

"Her eyes are still pretty dark…", Lori pointed out as she smoothed her hand over Judith's curls, "Carls were very blue at this age"

Michonne tried not to roll her eyes as she prepared to reply, but Carl saved her the hassle by responding, "You have to look at her in the light… See?"

Lori looked at Judith from a new angel and slowly nodded, "Oh yeah, I see it now"

"Dad said he wanted to get her first pair of cowboy boots soon", Carl couldn't even compose himself as he made the revelation, "I think she's too small"

"Cowboy boots?", Michonne frowned.

"God, he's continuing the tradition", Lori sighed, "He got Carl his first pair before he could walk"

"He has to get Andre some, too", Carl snickered.

Michonne scoffed as she started to laugh, " _Yeah_ , we'll see about that"

"I think it's time for you to get in there", Lori urged, "We don't want you to be late for class"

"Alright", Carl gave Judith a kiss on the cheek, "Bye Judes."

He handed the infant back to Michonne, then waved goodbye to both women before scooping up his bag from the ground and sprinting towards the school entrance, leaving Michonne and his mother alone. Lori turned to her with one of her awkward smiles, "So, how's the party planning going?"

"It's actually all done", Michonne answered, "Now all that's left to do is turn up"

"Oh, that's great… Have you told Jeffery and the others about it?"

"Shane and the rest know, but I haven't had a chance to speak to Jeffery about it"

Lori tilted her head slightly, "Well I saw him a while ago and he said he's been taking care of their father for the last few weeks, so he I guess he's pretty busy"

Michonne was genuinely interested in what Lori had to say, for the first time ever, "Oh, he's sick?"

"He's been sick for sometime now", The brunette crossed her slender arms over her chest, "Rick didn't tell you?"

Michonne held back a groan, "No, he didn't"

"Well he has cancer and there hasn't been any improvement with him, so Jeffery has been spending a lot of time up there taking care of him. He actually wants to see Rick, but...", Lori gave Judith a little smile, "He told me that he wasn't going down there… I think it's time he did"

"...Yeah…", Michonne gazed traveled past Lori and into the distance as she thought about what she was just told.

Of course, Rick wouldn't have told her about his father's illness or the fact that his father wanted to see him, but she didn't want to have to learn that through Lori. For some reason, the topic of his father was still such a testy subject that neither of them ever touched on and she didn't like that. She could imagine that he wanted to keep his family and his father as far away as possible from each other but if his father was losing a battle with his health, then she was inclined to wonder if it was time for their rift to end.

She decided that she'd talk to him about it later that night. She and Lori parted ways shortly after their brief talk and Michonne went about her day as she usually would; running errands with Judith in tow. They took a trip to the grocery store and then the bank to deposit the weeks' earnings so far. When she finally made it back home, she found Shane leaning against the front door with his legs crossed at the ankle and his eyes skimming a newspaper article.

Michonne would have thought that Rick's friends would cut down their visits to his home when he was no longer living the life of a bachelor, but she was wrong. Every now and then, one of the men would make an appearance, and she'd come to the conclusion that it was under Rick's doing because they only ever visited in the week when they knew that he wasn't home. She didn't mind Glenn or Daryl checking up on her because they usually kept it short and sweet, but Shane was a lot harder to get rid of.

"I was wondering where you were at", He folded the newspaper and tucked it under his arm as he pushed off the door, "Gimme that"

Michonne let him take the bag of groceries from one hand while she held Judith's car seat with the other, "I didn't realize that I had to tell you where I was every day"

He missed her sarcastic tone, "Well not _every_ day"

She rolled her eyes while she retrieved her keys, "Everything's fine. Nothing's amiss. Carl is where he's meant to be, Andre is where he's meant to be and Judith is where she's meant to be¬"

"Talking of Judith, let me see how that girl is growing", Shane tilted his head under he could see inside the car seat. He grinned at her, "Well, look at you! Lookin' just like ya' mama, girl"

Judith responded with an excited gurgle. She was the only one in the family that liked how loud Shane was.

"Ain't that somethan'... I remember when Carl was that little. He was a pain in the ass"

Michonne snorted defensively at him as she opened the front door, "Don't call him that"

"It's the truth. Lil' mama's boy that cried every two minutes… I'm glad he grew out of that", Shane continued to give his unwarranted commentary as they filed into the apartment, "You need to make sure that Andre doesn't grow up the same way… He can't be glued to you all the time¬"

"Andre is almost four years old¬ This is a time that he's meant to be glued to me", She pointed out sternly as she gave him a quizzical look from over her shoulder.

"Yeah, and he'll be starting school soon too¬ He needs to be ready for the bigger kids in class"

"It's Pre-K¬"

"It don't matter. He needs to be able to hold his own and make sure that no one runs over him. You need to get him into boxing or somethan' like that", Shane set the bags down on the counter, "The best piece of advice I ever got was from my daddy; he told me that at the start of every grade, I had to fight one of the kids so the others so they knew not to mess with me. And it worked"

Michonne gave him another strange look as she placed the car seat on the coffee table and began freeing Judith from her seat, "That's terrible advice"

"But it worked. Ask Rick¬ In fact, he was the first person that I punched when we started high school", Shane beamed with pride.

Michonne remembered the picture she'd seen of her boyfriend as a young boy, and she especially remembered the mean scowl he had on his face, "And I bet he punched you right back"

"Of course he did, but that ain't the point. The point is¬ nobody messed me. Or him. We set the tone"

She cradled Judith against her chest as she shot him a warning, "That story better stay between me and you. I don't want Andre catching wind of it"

"You're turning him into a mama's boy", Shane huffed as he placed his hand on the counter, "You hear anythan' from that father of his, yet?"

"No. I haven't.", Michonne rolled her eyes.

Shane stared at her with pursed lips for several seconds, "You ain't gonna' let him around him, are you?"

Michonne didn't like talking about Mike with anyone, let alone someone as brash as Shane, "It's not something I've thought about yet"

"What is there to think about? If he starts coming round here then you let Rick handle it"

"Rick isn't Andre's father", She pointed out flatly as she looked for Judith's bouncer, "It's not his responsibility to handle it¬"

"You can't say that about a man that's taken on your child like his own. The boy calls him 'dad' and Rick is out there telling people that he's got three kids instead of two¬"

"It still doesn't make it his responsibility to handle Mike. And besides, I don't want anything to distract him from finishing at the academy and getting that job", She made her point clear, "So I'll handle it"

Shane wasn't impressed with her answer, and he let her know by shaking his head with a displeased look on his face, "That don't make any kind of sense to me"

"I'm sure it doesn't…", Michonne used her foot to bring the bouncer closer to her.

"Well let me hold her before you lock her up in there", Shane came away from the kitchen counter with his arms stretched out in front of him.

In spite of his brutish and over opinionated nature, Shane was quite the caretaker when it came to the kids, so she easily obliged and let him hold her infant. Judith certainly enjoyed his company and happily nibbled on his t-shirt as soon as she was close enough to the fabric.

Michonne hated that her conversation with Shane still lingered on her mind long after he left them. When Rick first told her that he'd seen Mike, her initial reaction was anger. As far as she was concerned, he had no right to demand to see Andre, and she didn't like the idea of him being so close to their son without her there. He'd been absent for far too long and he'd have to be reintroduced into the picture if she was going to allow him to be a father again.

And to make matters worse, It wouldn't be an easy decision to make because there were two very important factors to take into consideration; Andre and Rick. Her son was at an age where he had the ability to question the things that were happening around him, and due to the fact that he was younger when Mike was in and out of his life, Michonne was certain that he never really knew who Mike was to him. He'd never got the chance to call him 'daddy'. He must have known that Mike was of significance but nothing more than that, whereas Rick had always been a constant figure in Andre's life. Shane was right when he said that Rick took care of him like he was his own, and in Andre's mind, Rick belonged to him too. Ejecting Mike into their relationship could either strengthen their bond or strain it, and Michonne couldn't bear to see the latter happen.

But on the other hand, if there was a chance that Mike was Andre's father and if he'd finally matured then she felt as though she owed it to her son to let him be apart of his life again.

"Her butt-butt stinks mommy", Andre's tone was serious when he made the comment later that night. As a way to help her children bond, Michonne had Andre sit on the couch holding his sister after dinner, so he could finally see for himself that she wasn't an intruder, but her son was stubborn as a mule.

Michonne ran her fingers through his mop of tight curls and said, "I just changed her. Her butt-butt smells fine"

Andre peered down at his sister again as he looked for another of her flaws; Judith was content being held in his arms and stared up at him with her big, blue-tinted eyes as she sucked on her pacifier. Andre looked back up at his mother and said, "She's making that noise again"

"Because she's got her pacifier in her mouth."

"...She keeps looking at me"

"Because you're holding her", Michonne tried not to show how amused she was with him because he didn't like that, "She loves you. You're her big brother and she's going to look up to you, and you have to protect her"

Andre's little brows furrowed as he stared at his sister again, "From bad guys?"

"...Well, not really from bad guys¬"

"Like dad? I ha' to be police?"

Michonne noticed that he perked up when he mentioned Rick, so she agreed, "Yes. Like your dad."

"...Okay", Andre seemed a little pleased with that idea, but he couldn't resist adding, "No more babies"

Michonne's head snapped back, "No more babies?"

"No. _Dad_ said so."

"Did you just lie to mommy?"

Andre quickly looked away from her as he muttered, "Maybe…"

Luckily for him, Michonne's phone began to vibrate on the coffee table so she leaned forward and picked it up; it was Rick, and she smiled when she answered the call, "Hey"

"Hey, you okay?", He asked in his usual husky tone.

"Yeah, fine. Just sitting here with Andre and Judith. He's been holding her."

"Really?...Voluntarily or¬"

"I made him hold her."

"Ah", Rick sounded exhausted when he chuckled, "That makes sense. Well I'm happy to hear that"

"How was your day?", Michonne used her shoulder to hold the phone against her ear so that she could take Judith away from a squirming Andre.

"It was okay… better, now that I'm talking to you"

She started to smile again and wanted to show him the same kind of affection in return but Judith began to coo and gurgle as she kicked her legs at high speed; she was in the mood to play.

Rick chortled, "Did she hear me?"

"She must have", Michonne adjusted her hold on her, "She's been very talkative today"

"Really?"

"Yep. She answers when I talk to her now, and I like to think that she knows what I'm talking about"

Rick sighed, "...I hate that I missed that."

"She'll probably still be doing it when you get home, Rick", She replied tenderly, "You'll see for yourself"

"I know but… I want to be there when thangs happen, not after"

"Yeah, I know", Michonne was surprised to see Andre give her a mildly annoyed look before he climbed off the couch and moved closer to the TV. Her conversation was obviously interrupting his cartoons. She pulled her attention back to the phone call, "Yeah, uh… I saw Lori and Carl today… I had to go to the school to give Carl his gym bag"

"Oh?"

"Yeah… And Lori actually told me that Jeffery's been a little busy lately", She chose her words wisely.

"...Yeah", She heard Rick inhale deeply, "He's spending a lot of time in town"

Michonne remained silent, indicating that she knew why.

"...We don't need to talk about it. He's down there and we're over here. That's got nothing to do with us¬"

"She said that he wanted to see you, Rick", She kept her tone voice of any judgment, "I didn't know that"

"I didn't even wanna' know that", He countered sarcastically, "I don't wanna' know anythan' about what that man is doing"

"I understand that, but… If he's really sick and he wants to see you then maybe, and just maybe, he'd like to bury the hatchet... Extend an olive branch... _Build a bridge_ ¬"

"No more for you", Rick ejected dryly, causing her to giggle.

"I'm just saying, Rick"

"I know, but trust me when I say that I don't care, Michonne. I don't want anythan' to do with him and I don't want him to have anythan' to do with me or my family. If I did want that then I would have gone down there already on my own accord", Rick's voice was cool and calm, "I'm not interested, and I don't want you to be either"

Michonne chose to back down. She really didn't want anything to affect his performance at such a crucial time in the academy, so she swiftly moved on to a lighter topic, "I heard you were planning on getting Judith cowboy boots?"

Just as she expected, he laughed, "I am. And Andre."

"I didn't agree to that"

"It's tradition. Carl got his when before he could walk¬"

"So I heard", She deadpanned, "I think she needs a pair of biker boots first"

"So she can look even more like you¬"

" _I got the job offer_!", Michonne heard a woman call out on the other end of the line, " _The sergeant just told me_! _I told you I'd get it_!"

"I knew you would; congratulations", Rick called back, leading Michonne to feel a little uncomfortable. She figured that it was Andrea that he was talking to.

" _You better be ready because I'm gonna' kick your ass in those drills too_!"

Rick laughed again, the same way that he had just done earlier. Michonne felt a heat rise to her chest. The woman sounded playful and bullish, like the female equivalent of Shane. He returned to their call a moment later, "Sorry about that, Andrea got that FBI offer too"

"That's great", She replied flatly. She had heard what Andrea said, and she wanted to know why his friend thought she was going to be ' _kicking his ass_ ' in FBI drills too, "...So what's going on with your offer?"

The amusement left his tone, "Nothing… I mean, I've just been thinking about it but I haven't confirmed anythan' with anyone"

"But you are thinking about it?", Michonne listened carefully for his reply, all while rocking a sleepy Judith in her arms and keeping an eye on Andre.

"I have done, but this isn't somethan' that I have to decide on alone¬ Obviously I need to know what you think about it"

"...It sounds like you've already made your decision?"

Rick paused, "I haven't. Not at all."

Michonne could feel herself getting agitated. In spite of what he said, it was clear that Andrea believed she'd be training alongside Rick when Michonne believed that it wasn't something that he was considering. He hadn't even mentioned it again after the first time, so she genuinely thought that he'd realized it would be too much to take on, but it seemed that she was wrong.

Whether it was due her poor lifestyle or the remaining pregnancy hormones that still ran rampant around her body, she couldn't find the strength to continue the conversation, "I need to put the kids to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Hold on a second, Michonne¬"

"It's getting late, Rick", She tried to keep any contempt out of her voice.

"Michonne?"

"We can talk tomorrow."

She heard him inhale deeply, and after a short moment of silence he said, "...Alright, Fine. I love you."

"...Love you too", Her declaration was mumbled and almost incomprehensible, "Bye."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

"We both said that we need to get up and do something, but have you noticed that neither of us has moved?"

Ricks abdomen ached when he laughed at Morgans joke. He almost turned his head to look at him but didn't have the strength, "I wanna' move but my body doesn't"

"Man, everything is sore. I know they said these last drills would be tough on us but… I wasn't expecting to feel like this", Morgan sighed.

Both men were laid out on their beds; Rick on his back and Morgan on his stomach. They had spent most of their afternoon running around the academy's training grounds, and even though they had since had their dinner and changed their clothes, they were still very sore. The added bonus of going through intense physical training for the last five and a half months was that Rick really was in great shape and his body showed that. He was pleased with how he felt and looked for an almost thirty-year-old man. The downfall was that Michonne hadn't seemed to notice, or care, whatsoever. He inhaled deeply and used his core to pull himself up, but immediately winced once he was upright, "Oh, I shouldn't have done that"

"You're a better man than me", Morgan groaned, "I think I might try to study like this"

"Oh yeah, can we put off studying for a little while?", Rick's legs trembled when he slowly stood up, "I just need to call Michonne"

"Take all the time you need. I need to get the feeling back in my legs anyway"

Rick smirked, "Alright, deal"

The door to their dorm flew open just as Rick started to drag his feet; Andrea sauntered into the room with a wide smile on her face, some books in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, "You boys still dying in here?"

"You know you risk seeing something that you don't want to see when you barge in here like that", Morgan commented dryly, "Knocking won't hurt"

She snorted at him, "Oh please, you boys haven't got anything that I haven't seen before"

Rick shook his head with despair as he inched passed her, "That's one way to look at it"

"Where you crawling off to?", She furrowed her light brows at him and lifted one of the academy training books in the air, "Study time?"

"I know, I know", He held up his hands innocently, "I'll be right back; just gotta' make a quick call home"

"Ah, of course. Say hi to the kids for me."

"Sure", If she had known the trouble he'd had calling home over the past few days, then she'd understand why her comment didn't help his situation.

After he and Michonne's awkward ending to their phone conversation at the beginning of the week, Rick's attempts to speak to her were proving futile. She didn't answer the phone at all the next day. He called her several times but got no answer. He wanted to believe that she was just too busy with the kids to answer but she would have answered and told him that if that were the case. He called home again the day after that, and she said only a few words to him before giving the phone to Andre. The little boy spent twenty or so minutes lodging several complaints about his mother, sister, and grandmother, then gave the phone back to Michonne who informed him that Judith was fine, but she needed to go and do something. Rick told her that he loved her and she mumbled something back in return.

Needless to say, it crushed him. He knew she was upset that he was thinking about the FBI offer but he couldn't understand why she thought he'd accept it without her input. He was more than willing to forget about it if she didn't want him to take it. He knew that the timing wasn't right, and he hated that he was missing so much of the beginning of Judith's life. He hated that Michonne had to deal with everything alone when he was gone. She even took care of Carl during the weeks that he spent at their home, so he had no problem recognizing why she was reluctant for him to take the offer, but he wanted to at least discuss it with her in depth first. Speaking on the phone wouldn't help, but it was his only option for the time being.

"Hi, dad", Andre chirped when he answered the call. Well, Michonne possibly answered her phone and handed the phone to Andre.

"Hi buddy, you okay?", Rick leaned against the brick wall by the phone.

"Yeah… I foun' my Woody doll"

"Oh? Where was he?"

"...I dun' know…"

Rick pursed his lips for a moment, "...Do you think that _mommy_ was the one that found him?"

"Yep."

"That makes a little more sense…", Rick snickered, "You have a good day at daycare?"

"Yep...I made a cupcake"

"Really? All by yourself?"

"Tara helped me make 'em"

"Well did you save me some?"

"No… I gave it to mommy"

His gift to his mother made him smile, "Don't you worry about it then. Always give everythan' you make to mommy"

"Okay", Andre chirped.

"So have you been a good big brother today?"

"No... Judy tried to eat me...", Andre whined. His tone was no longer sweet, "Mommy tol' me to give her a kiss and¬and she started eating me¬"

"She wasn't trying to eat you, she was trying to give you a kiss back", Rick chuckled as he tried to give the little boy a sound explanation.

"She made my face all wet!"

"That's because she hasn't learned how to not drool yet. She'll figure it out soon enough, though", Rick sighed happily, "What's she doing now?"

"...I dun' know…"

"Where's mommy?"

"In tha' kitchen"

"Alright, well why don't you watch your sister while I talk to mommy for a second?"

Andre groaned, "...Okay"

"Thanks, buddy. I love you"

"Luh' you too", Rick heard Andre's little feet patter as he ran to find his mother, "Mommy, Dad wan's to talk to you"

Rick shuffled against the wall uneasily. He hoped that she'd be willing to talk to him this time.

"Hi", She answered flatly, "What is it?"

"Hey", Rick inhaled deeply, "Are you alright?"

"I'm _perfectly_ fine", Her tone contradicted her words.

He exhaled tiredly, "Can we talk, please?"

"We've been talking"

"Properly. You barely said anythan' to me yesterday"

"Because I had to put the kids to bed."

He drug his hand down his face, "Michonne, all I've done is think about that position. That's it. I wanted to talk about it with you when I was done here and I wanted us both to make this decision, not just me"

Michonne was silent for a short while, then asked, "Do you want to take it?"

Rick pushed away from the wall and stood up straight, "I won't take it if you don't want me to. It's that simple for me"

"That's not¬", She cut her sentence short and sighed, "I don't want you to not do something just because I don't want you to. That's not how things are meant to work between us"

He bit his lip nervously, "...I'd rather turn it down then have you upset with me"

"My problem is that we haven't even sat down and¬"

"Hey, Rick! I'm getting you new sheets!", Andrea called from down the hall, causing Rick to turn back to look at her, "I spilled my coffee on them but don't worry, I'll clean it up!"

Rick simply nodded, then turned back around, "Sorry about that. What were you saying?"

"Nothing", She replied bluntly, "I need to put the kids to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow or something¬"

"Wait, wait", Rick placed his hand on the wall, "Michonne, hold on a second. I wanna' know what you were going to say¬"

He heard Judith start to fuss; not loudly, but he heard her. Michonne huffed, "I have to go."

Rick felt frustrated, but he couldn't keep her on the phone. She certainly didn't want to stay on the phone to him. He reluctantly agreed, "Yeah. Alright."

She hung up the call without saying another word, leading Rick to stare at the phone long after the conversation came to an end.

He felt as though things were just going from bad to worse between them, and it was becoming too much to take. His biggest fear seemed only an argument away from becoming a reality and he didn't know how to stop it.

"Don't moan at me, I'm almost done", Andrea declared a little breathlessly as she fixed his sheets around his mattress, "I got a little comfortable and a little clumsy, but don't worry. It was only on the top sheet"

Rick took his time entering his dorm, and he was too distracted with thoughts of Michonne to care what she was doing, so he just muttered, "Yeah…"

"Morgan went to get snacks", Andrea continued, "I personally think that I deserve to have an ice-cream sandwich after everything I did today. I don't mean to brag but I wiped the floor with those idiots out there… And I told Morgan to pick you up some of those little chocolate raisin things you like"

Rick sat on Morgan's vacant bed as he waited for her to finish what she was doing, "Yeah, thanks"

Andrea peaked back at him from over her shoulder, "...Problem?"

He shook his head as he stared off elsewhere, "Nah. Nothing… just got a lot on my mind"

"...Family problems?"

He tilted his head just a little, "...It's just hard to talk when I'm here and… The kids crying¬ Stuff like that"

"Well...", Andrea shrugged as if the answer was clear, "Don't you go home tomorrow?"

"Nah, I leave early on Saturday"

She rolled her eyes, "Well then just go home tomorrow instead. You can leave in the evening you know."

Rick lowered his gaze, "...Maybe"

"Come on, we've got one week left...", Andrea stopped fixing his sheets and threw herself down on his bed, "Now's not the time to be getting distracted"

He hummed a response.

"You can go back to being the 'amazing boyfriend and father' this weekend, but now? Now we have to study for this stupid test. You get through with that and you can go right back to being that fantastic family man that we all know that you are. Trust me, they will understand", She leaned down and grabbed her books from the floor, "Now come on, you'll thank me later when you're done with this place… But I'd rather you _bought me dinner_ than actually saying 'thank you'."

Rick partially agreed with her statement. He did only have one week left at the academy and he was at a point where he really needed to perform at his best, but he would never stop thinking about his family, especially if there was a chance that he might lose Michonne.

He was able to focus during their group study session, but only barely. He wanted to sneak away and try to call her again but he knew it would be no use, and he didn't want to risk waking up the children either. There was nothing more he could do for the night, but by the next morning, he had convinced himself that he should return home earlier than planned.

Andrea was right; he had the option of returning home that evening and although Michonne always insisted that he got a full night's rest before driving home, he wanted to get home sooner rather than later. He hated the way things were between them and he was prepared to do what he could to change that. It was becoming increasingly clear that she was unhappy with him and he didn't want to make another move that could result in her ending up in someone else's arms.

He had two highly important exams to complete that Friday and he gave them his all. Even though his issues with Michonne were at the forefront of his mind, he couldn't risk failing. He'd already risked too much to fail. He'd sacrificed too much quality time with his family and his relationship. He couldn't even joke around with Andrea when she tried to brighten his mood throughout the day, but he did appreciate her efforts. She'd proven to be a very caring friend and he intended to remain in contact with her when their time together came to an end, but for the time being, he had to place her in the background.

Every recruits day ended at eight o'clock in the evening, and as soon as Rick was free to go, he said goodbye to both Morgan and Andrea then left the building with his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. His body still ached and his mind felt equally drained, but that wouldn't be enough to deter him from leaving.

As soon as he switched on his cell phone he was inundated with messages from Jeffery from earlier in the day. Rick only skimmed over them, knowing that it was possibly about their father and while he didn't care to find out what the problem was, there was a chance that if Jeffery couldn't get a hold of Rick then he'd try Michonne, so to save them both the stress, he called his brother back.

"About damn time", Jeffery answered, "I've been trying to get a hold of you all day¬"

"I leave my phone in my truck during the week", Rick replied flatly as he pulled out of his parking spot, "Whats the problem?"

"It's dad, thangs went¬"

Rick sighed, "God"

" _Thangs went well today_ ", Jeffery continued firmly, "He had his surgery and they did what they were supposed to do"

Rick exhaled loudly, "Alright, that's great. Happy to hear that. Is that all?"

"...No that isn't all, Rick. I haven't spoken to you in a while so I'd like to know how you're doing? Hows all your kids doing? Michonne?"

"You'd know how the kids were if you saw them. Judith is almost three months old and you haven't seen her since she was born¬"

"I know, I know. I feel terrible for it but I've been trying to do what I can up here. I used up all my vacation days and then some. Grandpa is helping as much as he can but he's an old man too so there's only so much he can do"

Rick rolled his eyes, "Yeah. Great."

"...Listen, I need you to do me a favour¬"

"No."

"I need you", Jeffery continued again, "To just think about possibly coming down here to talk to him. Just talk."

"You should know better than to ask me that", Rick replied back sternly.

"Rick, he says time and time again that he's sorry for how thangs went back then. That's all he ever talks about. He says he'd like to see both his sons at his side", Jeffery explained in his 'big brotherly' tone, "And you know what? Before all this cancer stuff happened, I wouldn't even ask you somethan' like that¬ You know that I've always understood why you don't want anythan' to do with him, but that all happened a long time ago. Almost thirteen years ago, in fact, ¬"

"Doesn't feel long enough to me"

"...The man thought he was going to die, Rick. He talked like he was on death's door for five months straight. Hell, I helped him sort out his will and his wishes¬ he wanted to leave you and Carl somethan'. He doesn't even know that you have a daughter now or about Michonne because I didn't tell him¬"

"Good. If I wanted him to know then I would have told him myself", Rick rolled his shoulders in an attempt to relieve the stress in his neck, "And can you stop talking to Lori about this? It's getting back to Michonne and I don't like that"

"Fine… But just think about it. That's all I'm ever gonna' ask from you"

"Yeah", Rick lied, "We'll see about that"

"How is Michonne anyway?"

The tension returned to his neck, "She's alright… Just busy with the kids but I'm heading home now. Are you still in Kings County?"

"Yeah but I'm coming back tomorrow. You available? I'll stop by and see the kids"

"Well, a friend of mine from the academy invited us to his place for barbeque. You're welcome to join or come by later, it's up to you"

"Barbeque sounds good... Be an excuse for me to have a beer", Jeffery sighed, "Send me the details and I'll be there"

"Alright."

Rick knew it would make everyone around him feel better if he would just make peace with his father, but Rick wasn't a fickle man. He knew that if he let his father or his grandfather back into his life, or even his families life, he'd regret it. He was convinced that no good would come from speaking to either of them again and he was growing tired of talking about it. In fact, he didn't have the room in his mind to think about it.

He was far too busy going over the things that he wanted to say to Michonne; over and over again. He wanted to stress that he loved her and that he truly wasn't intending on taking the job offer if it meant sacrificing their relationship. He hoped that would spur her into speaking openly with him and letting him know what had been going through her mind lately because they had much more than just his career to discuss.

It took him slightly longer to get home because it was a Friday night, after all, and the city never slept. He parked his truck behind Michonne's car and entered the apartment building with high spirits. It was after nine so both children should have been fast asleep and in order to keep it that way he snuck into his home quietly.

"You forget somethan'?", An unfamiliar southern voice called, causing Rick to step into his home with a confused frown.

He may not have recognized the voice but he definitely did recognize the blonde haired girl standing in his kitchen holding his daughter, and judging by the way she jumped out of her skin when she spun around, she recognized him too. Rick set his bag down and gently closed the door behind him, "...Maggie's sister, right?"

"Y-yeah", She appeared even more nervous than when she first saw him, "Beth"

"How are you doing?", Rick eyed his home for a few moments, then looked back at her, "...Did Michonne step out?"

"Fine...", Beth rocked Judith back and forth, "...Y-yeah. Just um, let me…. Let me call her¬"

"Hold on", Rick could almost smell the fear coming off of the young girl as he stepped towards her, "Is she asleep?"

Beth peaked down at Judith, "...Y-yeah. I just got her down¬ I'll go and put her in her¬"

"Where did Michonne go?", Rick glanced at Judith, then back at Beth.

She bounced around on the spot as though she were trying to keep the infant asleep but it was evident that she was feeling uneasy, "...I don't think… I don't think it's my place to say¬ I can leave if you want?"

"No, you don't have to do that, but I'd appreciate it if you told me where she went?", Rick's eyes darted back down to Judith, "I take it she didn't go to the store or somethan' because you would have said that, right?"

Beth's doll-like eyes wandered away from him for several seconds, then shot back to him.

Rick lowered his voice, "...Has she gone to see someone?"

"No, not at all", Beth immediately shook her head as she cradled Judith closer, "She… She's… She's gone to work"

"She's gone to…", Rick probably looked like a buffoon when he started to repeat what she'd said, but it was only because he was so confused. The feeling didn't last long though, and when he realized what she meant, he stood up straight and stone-faced, "You mind waiting here for a little while, Beth?"

She shook her head a second time, "No, I don't mind"

Rick took one last look at Judith, "Thank you."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I am not going to bore you guys with some long-winded note about why it took me months to update again - I have had too much shit to deal with, so I haven't been able to keep up with the writing. Things have finally calmed over here so I was able to get some updates going. **I am so sorry** that it took this long and I am so sorry that I didn't say anything sooner. I hope you enjoy the updates, but if not then feel free to drag me because I deserve it. **Love** you all!

\- Bae

 **Chapter 7:**

Michonne's legs trembled so much that she had to pace the small hallway to calm down. She would have taken a shot of tequila like the other girls did before they went on stage but she didn't think it was wise since she was still nursing Judith, so she tried to summon some natural courage instead, and she was failing miserably.

She wore a white bikini under a matching white mesh dress that lingered dangerously around the top of her thighs. It was her most risque outfit yet, and she bought it with the idea that she wouldn't need to take her clothes off at all if she already wore something so revealing.

The music in the main room stopped and her heart sank in her chest; her turn had come sooner than she thought. She took one last look at the full-length mirror behind her but avoided looking at her face; she couldn't stand to look herself in the eye.

"I love Fridays!", Paula cheered as she strutted down the hall with her bikini in one hand and a bag full of bills in the other. All the girls that danced on stage were given a bag to collect their earnings when they were done, and it looked as though Paula had done extremely well. She beamed with pride, "I got them all worked up for ya'..."

Michonne was so used to seeing girls in the nude that she hardly blinked, "Great… Thanks…"

"Don't look like that", Paula insisted playfully, "First-timers are only up there for a few songs so you'll be done before you know it"

Michonne would rather not be up there at all but she still nodded her head, "Yeah. I hope so."

Fortunately for her, there was a chance that she'd be leaving the stage with a generous amount of money like Paula had done because the audience was well and truly drunk when she made her shakey appearance. There were several wolf whistles aimed in her direction so she reciprocated by smiling like an awkward teenager who'd never been paid a compliment before.

She made eye contact with the DJ and he began playing the least sexually charged track that he could find for her. Both of her hands found the pole and she started to bide her time by slowly swanning around and remembering the tips that she'd been given earlier that night; Paula insisted that she always acknowledged as many men as she could throughout her routine by giving them a wink or a sultry pout. Michonne wasn't ready to do either just yet but she would hold a customers gaze for a moment or two.

When she'd done her ninth or tenth lap around the pole she stopped in one spot and started to swing her hips from left to right as she lowered herself down, then came back up with the same hip swinging motion. She started her laps again but a little more loosely, moving her body as sensually as she could. She managed to earn herself some small bills near her feet, so she did the whole thing all over again. Her spirits were lifted; if she could get away with doing more dancing then stripping, then she could walk out of the building with her head held high.

The only way she was able to perform was by keeping in mind that it was only momentary; Whatever she could make until Rick came home would have to be enough. She'd learned how to stretch their funds in the past, so even if she didn't earn that much she would still make it last.

She caught a glimpse of a few ten dollar bills on the reflective surface below and knew that the customers would be expecting more sooner or later. Still reluctant to remove her dress, she decided to ramp up her act by seductively falling to her knees and crawling across the stage. When she winked at one man and blew a kiss for the other, one simply did as he was meant to and threw more money towards the stage, but the other, more intoxicated man thought he'd go the extra mile and slip his money under the hem of her tight dress. He added insult to injury when he patted her behind and said, "You're lookin' good, girl!"

Michonne sat back on her feet as she stared the man down, then began to look around the club for security, who were meant to be implementing the 'no touching' rule. To her relief, someone was already coming towards the stage, and it should have been the security guard but it wasn't.

Rick that grabbed the man by the neck and shoved him down to the floor hard, causing him to spill his drink and knock his head on a nearby table. She recognized him as soon as he was out of the dimly lit area, even though his baseball cap was low and hid the top half of her face.

Fear kept her rooted to the spot, otherwise, she would have gotten up and ran as far as her heels could carry her. The intoxicated man threw around obscenities as he pulled himself up from the floor, while Rick turned around and faced her; He adjusted his cap, lifting it a little higher so he could see her, and she could see him. Shame finally took over, and Michonne quickly rose to her feet and scurried off the stage.

There was no point in trying to figure out what she would say to him because, at this point, nothing she could say would change how he found out. She hurried to the locker room and made a beeline for her locker. The other girls were busy working the floor so she was all alone. She pulled off her heels, and was about to take off her dress and bikini but decided to just put on her sweatshirt instead. She didn't have time to change.

When she finished lacing up her boots, she slung her backpack on to one of her shoulders and left the room just as quickly as she'd entered it.

"Tell Carol I'm sorry I had to go and that she can take whatever I got on stage", She declared to one of the girls at the front booth as she power walked to the entrance. She didn't hear what her response was because she couldn't stick around to hear it.

The night breeze whipped around her bare legs when she stepped outside. She crossed her arms over her chest as she peered up and down the street for Rick's truck, then saw that he'd parked across the street and was standing by the passenger door with his back towards her. The feeling of shame exploded in her stomach again as she made her way towards him.

He didn't say anything when he saw her. He just opened the passenger door then walked around to the drivers' side of the vehicle. She sheepishly climbed in and set her bag at her feet. As soon as both doors were shut there was enough silence between them for her to hear her heartbeat in her ears.

"...I came home early because I wanted to talk to you. I didn't like how thangs have been going between us this week and I knew we probably wouldn't get a chance to talk properly until tomorrow night so I left as soon as I could", Rick's disappointed tone sounded just like his tired tone, "The kids would be in bed already so I thought we could finally get a chance to sit down and talk everythan' out properly."

He didn't look at her as he spoke. He just stared through the windshield with a dark expression on his face.

"So I take it this is why you've been more tired than usual? And why you didn't want me coming home on Fridays?"

Michonne pulled her locks out of her sweatshirt before she sat back, "Yeah."

He inhaled deeply as he brought his hand up to his face, "And how long has this been going on?"

"...A little over two months"

He paused and began to frown, "Did you forget how we met Michonne? Did you think I'd be angry or upset that you wanted to come back here?"

She shook her head just a little, "No… That¬"

"I'll admit it, if you did tell me that you wanted to start doing this again then I wouldn't be happy about it", He confessed, "I know what made you start in the first place and I wouldn't want you to do that again¬ I'm trying to do what I can to take care of you and the kids so we can put those days behind us, but if it was somethan' that you wanted to do because you enjoyed it then… I'd just have to accept that¬"

"That's not why I didn't tell you", She sat her head back against the headrest, "It was about the money, Rick"

It was clear that he was even more confused because it took him a moment to say, "...And what did you need the money for?"

She looked up to see his face but realized she hadn't found the courage to maintain eye contact with him just yet, so looked back down to her hands in her lap, "...Everything"

"Everythan'?"

"...Things were tough. We needed it."

He continued to stare at her, "...Thangs were tough?"

It was her turn to inhale deeply, "You weren't earning as much when you started going to the academy, Rick…We had just moved, we needed furniture, I needed a car, we started having Carl for two whole weeks out the month, Andre was still going to daycare¬ Everything started to add up and we had a lot more going out than we had coming in. I didn't want my mom to keep helping us out so I just… did what I needed to do"

Rick no longer stared at her when she finished her explanation, then went back to staring out the windshield, "...Your mother helped us out?"

"She has."

He blew out a deep breath, "Right."

Quilt led Michonne's gaze to wander around the vehicle, "...I know that I should have said something and I'm sorry that I didn't, but I didn't want you to start doubting your decision or blaming yourself… As soon as you were done there, I was done here"

Rick kept quiet.

She finally looked at him when too much time had passed, "...Rick, I'm sorry"

She knew that he heard her because his eye twitched as if it confused him further to hear her say that.

Michonne made another quiet, declaration, "...I'm trying to make sure that we have enough to get by after you get your last check from the academy"

Rick clenched his jaw as he began to slowly nod his head, "I'll figure somethan' out. Don't you worry about it"

Deep lines appeared in her brow, "I have to worry about these things. I can't just stop what I'm doing and hope that everything's going to be okay¬"

"I got it, Michonne", He spoke with finality like he didn't want them to discuss it any further. He shoved his key in the ignition as he repeated under his breath, "I got it"

"You can't get it because you're not even¬", She caught her outburst before she could say anymore but it was too late. She'd said enough.

She had his full attention again. He dropped his hand to his lap as he said, "...Is that your way of finally telling me how you really feel?"

She never wanted to voice her concerns out of anger when it came to Rick but it was time she explained herself. Her secret was already out in the open and it was pointless hiding anything else, "...I have to worry about Andre, Judith, and Carl when you're not here, Rick. I'm the one taking care of the kids, the house, the bills¬ When anything needs doing then I'm doing it; whether it's taking Judith to get her shots, or racing across town to give Carl his gym bag, or making a couple dozen cupcakes for Carls school fundraiser because your ex-wife insisted that I come along¬ I even have to deal with _her_! I deal with everything!"

Rick's gaze fell to her shoulder as he listened to her.

Michonne released a deep breath as drug her hands down her face; she didn't want to get worked up. She picked a gentler tone to speak with, "I don't resent you for going away because it made sense; joining the academy and going for a job at the police department made sense. You'd get to still do what you love but with perks and regular hours and pay¬ I understood that and I'm glad that you've done it but you left me to deal with everything on my own and I had to make it work, so I did. This is how I get it to work."

Rick didn't immediately say anything when she was done, but he eventually pulled out his car keys and pushed them into the ignition. Michonne placed her elbow on the window ledge and rested her head in her hand as she waited for him to start the car but instead he said, "...You could have said somethan'. You didn't need to leave me in the dark… We could have handled this together and it wouldn't have had come to this"

"...I'd still be doing it by myself, Rick", She didn't mean to sound so harsh, but she had tapped into some repressed resentment towards him, "Then you would have taken that job and I'd be doing it all over again for another six months"

Rick turned his head to look at her, "...I cared enough to tell you about that. We may not have gotten around to talking about it properly but I always took you into consideration before anythan' else. I would have appreciated it if you had done the same for me"

They made eye contact for the first time since they'd gotten into the vehicle. Michonne sat up angrily, "I did take you into consideration. I told you that I didn't want you to start doubting yourself¬"

"If I didn't turn up tonight, would you have told me?"

She paused, "...No. I can't say that I would have."

"And you don't see a problem with that?", He narrowed his eyes at her.

"I know exactly what the problem is but I wasn't doing anything with the wrong intentions¬"

"So If I took that job without telling you but with good intentions, you wouldn't be upset?", He rested his forearm on the steering wheel as he turned in his seat to face her, "You wouldn't be mad at me and you wouldn't see a problem with that?"

Michonne's eyes darted all over his face, "I was doing this for our family¬ Everything I do is for our family"

"And you don't think I'm thinking about our family, too?"

When Michonne finally recognized the point he was trying to make. Feeling deflated, she turned back to the windshield as she said, "Then take it. Take the job then."

Rick continued to look at her for only a short while, then mimicked her and faced forward, "Right."

Michonne felt sick to her stomach.

Everything unraveled so quickly; She knew that Rick had a right to be upset with her and she accepted that, but she hated the way their argument ended. The last thing she wanted to do was drive him even further away from her, however, she didn't think she could say that to him just yet. She didn't think she could say anything to him just yet. He was angry and she was still frustrated, so they rode away in a deafening silence.

As soon as they arrived home, she paid Beth for her services and watched the girl leave while Rick took his duffle bag to the bedroom. She couldn't be angry at Beth for letting him know where she was because unlike herself, Beth was painfully honest and too afraid of the consequences to ever tell a lie.

She checked on Andre and Judith before going to take a shower and change, unaware of what Rick was doing elsewhere. She regretted not speaking to him properly on the phone the previous night, because if she did then he may not have felt the need to return early and find out about her secret employment, but she got so annoyed when she heard Andrea's voice on the other end of the line that she had to cut the call.

She was filled with even more dread when she realized she'd told him to take the job, knowing full well that he'd be there with Andrea, too.

He was laying in bed when she was finally found her way to the bedroom, but he was on his side and facing away from her. She crept into bed without a word, then stared at the bedroom door until she was able to fall asleep.

By the time she woke up the next morning, she could hear that Andre was wide awake and the occasional coo from Judith let her know that her daughter was awake too. She looked at the time and saw that it was late in the morning; Rick didn't wake her up or let Andre wake her up. She actually felt refreshed, so refreshed that she sat up easily and stretched until her heart was content.

When she left their bedroom, she saw that Andre was sitting on the coffee table, too busy staring at the TV as he ate his toast in a comatose state. Judith was in her swing beside him with a pacifier in her mouth, but when she saw Michonne she spat the pacifier out at lightening speed and started to wail.

Michonne smirked as she strolled up to her, "Good morning, pretty girl… _and_ my handsome boy"

Andre mumbled something in return while Judith kicked her little legs excitedly. Rick was in the kitchen, washing something in the sink. Michonne bounced Judith in her arms as she looked in his direction.

It took her a while to find the courage to move closer to him. She didn't know if she should continue where they left off the night before, or if she should try to start a new. She chose the latter, "...Hey."

His gaze stopped at his shoulder as he glanced back, "Hey."

"Uh…", She cradled Judith's head as the infant started to nibble on her shirt, "...I was thinking... that maybe we could¬"

"Morgan invited us over today", Either he truly didn't hear her or he chose not to, "I was gonna' wait until Lori dropped Carl off then go over there"

"Oh…", Michonne stared at the back of his head, "Well, I don't¬"

"I was just gonna' just take the kids with me. You can hang back here if you want"

Her head reared back out of shock; in spite of the words used she felt as though he was telling her to stay, rather than suggesting it. She reacted by bouncing Judith to comfort herself, "Well I was going to say that I didn't have anything planned for today but if you don't want me there then... I won't be there"

He didn't miss the edge to her tone; he turned his body slightly and looked back at her, "I thought you might have wanted a day to yourself. That's all, Michonne"

She lowered her gaze as she shook her head, "It's fine. I don't mind coming."

He stared at her for a second more before doing the same, "Alright."

Michonne had a feeling that their conversations would be a little strained for a while, but it seemed that they were even more out of sync than she thought.

That was all they said to each other for the rest of the morning. Rick got Andre dressed while Michonne fed and bathed Judith. Carl arrived just after noon, and fortunately for both of them, Lori was in a hurry to do something so didn't come up to the apartment with him. Michonne was relieved; she didn't need the boys' mother to pick up on any tension between herself and Rick. Even though they weren't speaking to each other, they still behaved as normally as they could when it came to the kids, and Michonne hoped that she could keep it up around others.

From what she'd heard about Morgan, she expected him to be quite like Rick; family orientated and hard working. She preferred hearing tales about him as opposed to Andrea, and she was happy to know that Rick was forming lifelong bonds with the other recruits at the academy. She wanted him to take away as much as he could from his time there, not just a job.

"Mommy! Judy farted!", Andre cried from the back seat of Rick's truck.

"Ugh, God, Judes", Carl pulled his t-shirt up over his nose and opened the window beside him, "That smells _so_ bad"

"Both of you need to leave her alone…", Rick had obviously caught wind of the infants' mess because he coughed, then began opening his own window as he muttered, "Jesus…"

Michonne giggled at everyone's reaction as she peered into the backseat, "Does her butt-butt stink?"

Andre leaned closer to his sister and sniffed the area around her, "Her butt-butt stinks!"

"Great", Michonne huffed as she sat back in her seat.

"...We're almost there. I'll change her in the back when we stop", Rick said quietly.

Michonne glanced at him, "I'll do it."

"It's fine. I can manage.", Rick's tone wasn't even remotely sharp, and it should have sounded like a thoughtful offer, but it didn't feel that way to Michonne.

If he was trying to make a point then she understood loud and clear; she should have told him that she was struggling. She knew that he would have done everything he could to help because he loved being a family man, and he took pride in her and their children.

The more Michonne thought about it, the worse she felt for hiding it all from him.

He changed Judith in the back seat when they arrived at Morgans home while Michonne and Carl stood by with a very curious Andre between them; his eyebrows were furrowed together furiously and his stunning brown eyes inspected the property carefully, "Who's house is this?"

"Dad's friend", Carl answered in a bored tone as he shoved his hands in his pants pockets.

"His name is Morgan", Michonne explained further as she smoothed Andre's denim shirt and adjusted the little boy's jeans. She noticed that he and Rick were wearing matching outfits and smirked to herself.

"...I don' know him"

"You haven't met him yet but your dad has lots of friends so maybe you'll meet them today"

Andre's frowned even more, "Dad doesn't have lott-sa' friends"

" _Ouch_!", Laughter erupted from Carl, "Did you hear that dad?"

"What?", Rick held Judith under her arms as he lifted her off the seat and hooked her over his shoulder, then fixed the ruffles in her skirt over her diaper.

"Andre said you don't have lots of friends"

Rick peered down at the little boy and said dryly, "Thanks for noticing that, Andre"

Andre was too young to recognize his insult so simply smiled. Carl took his hand and started to lead him up the driveway while Michonne hung back to speak to Rick out of their earshot. She watched him close the back door, then said, "I didn't say what I said yesterday so you could start taking care of the kids on your own"

He glanced up at her, then slung Judith's diaper bag on his shoulder, "I know."

Michonne crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at him, eager to say more and just as eager for him to say something, anything, to her.

"Come on", He muttered, "Don't wanna' keep them waiting…"

He waited for her to move first, which she reluctantly did. It wasn't the time or the place for them to even begin to hash out their problems but the tension between them was grating on her.

She had to smack a smile on her face and pretend that everything was fine for the time being.

Morgan and his wife opened up their home to them with a warm greeting; they were a young couple, possibly approaching their thirties and everything that Rick had described them to be. From the moment he introduced her to Morgan she could see just why the two of them became friends because he was very much like Rick. Both had a very dry sense of humor but had subtle alpha qualities about them. Morgan's wife was hardly any different, and as a mother herself, it was no surprise that she made a beeline for the younger children.

"Aren't you a handsome boy!", Penny beamed as she crouched down in front of Andre.

Michonne watched her son smile at the woman awkwardly, "Um…"

"What do you say, Andre?", Rick promoted gently from behind him.

"Oh...I know", Andre grinned, causing Morgan and Penny to chuckle with surprise.

"Not that", Rick sighed.

Andre's trademark frown appeared as he looked back at him, "But my gran-ma says¬"

"Just say thank you", Michonne tried not to hiss the words at her son but they still sounded that way.

He peered up at his mother, then back at Penny as he said in an almost robotic tone, "...Thank you"

"You are more than welcome…", Penny cupped his cheek, "Though I can bet what your grandmother said was right"

"Carl, why don't you come in the back and meet Duane?", Morgan slapped a hand on the oldest boy's shoulder, "I've got him out there keeping an eye on the grill so maybe you can help him"

"Sure", Carl politely agreed and let his father's friend lead him towards the back of the home.

"And this must be the star of the show", Penny's brown almond eyes lit up as she zeroed in on Judith, "I've heard that she's a nibbler?"

Penny couldn't see that the infant was nibbling away on Ricks shirt, so he turned slightly to give her a better view and said, "She certainly is"

"Oh! Aren't you a gorgeous little girl!", Penny's eyes darted right over to Michonne, "She looks just like you!"

"Yeah, we get that a lot", Michonne joked as she adhered to Andre's silent pleas and picked him up. He was free to steal all her attention since all eyes were on Judith.

"You are going to have to let me hold her at some point¬ oh, let me stop holding you guys up in here", Penny used her hand to motion towards the back of her home, "Come on, let's get you comfortable...I'll get you some drinks"

"You have a beautiful home by the way", Michonne offered warmly as she did what she was told. They really did have a beautiful home; the walls were painted in a nice muted yellow, with tribal art decor and the rooms had beige furniture throughout.

"Why, thank you. Morgan would be pleased to hear that since he did most of the work in here", Penny placed a hand on her back as she showed them the way to the backyard, "I didn't trust him at first because his style is usually quite questionable. I barely let him buy Duane's clothes anymore"

Michonne snickered because she could relate, "I know that feeling"

They got to the backyard through the kitchen and saw that Morgan had both young boys by the grill; Duane was a smaller version of his father, much like Carl was to Rick. Michonne set Andre free to run around the spacious backyard then said hello to the other pre-teen.

"So I'm pretty sure we passed a pair of rollerblades on our way out here", She quickly struck up a conversation, "Those yours?"

"Yeah", Duane wore a bashful smile on his face, "I skate a lot"

"Yeah? Can you do any tricks?"

Carl, who was on Michonne's other side, groaned and rolled his eyes, "Oh, here we go"

"What?", Michonne pretended to be shocked, "It's just a question?"

"I can do a few?", Duanne appeared confused but interested on the inside joke they shared.

Michonne shrugged, "Well, I won't brag but¬"

"She can probably do them all", Carl ejected flatly as he looked at Duane, "She's good at everything"

Michonne waved her hand dismissively, "Not everything. Most things."

Duanne was impressed, "Really? Could you teach me some?"

"That would be interesting", Morgan sniggered as he propped himself up by the grill, "Don't think I've seen anyone over Duane's age do well on those skates of his"

"Now we can take three people to the emergency room instead of two", Rick said sarcastically as he turned Judith around to see all the people around them. As soon as the infant saw her mother, Judith kicked and cooed as if she just remembered that she was there. Rick positively beamed at her, "Is that your way of letting me know you want your mother?"

Judith continued to kick her legs so he took the not so subtle hint and held her out to Michonne; she tried to catch his gaze during in the handover but he didn't take his eyes off of their little girl.

"Dad! Dad! Watch me!", Andre pleaded as he bolted past the adults at full speed.

"Wow, you weren't joking about him", Morgan twisted all the way around to watch him run.

"This is nothing", Rick said as he adjusted his baseball cap on his head, "You should have seen him run across the football field at Carls school; ran clean across that thang in at least twenty seconds"

"Damn¬"

"I got some lemonade!", Penny declared cheerfully as she set a tray of drinks down on the table behind, "And there's a beer here if you'd like one, Rick"

"Thank you", He called back. Michonne turned around to help herself while pulling one of her locks from Judith's firm little grip, but Rick stopped her and said, "I'll get you somethan'..."

Michonne was stumped. She couldn't understand how he could be so caring and cold towards her at the same time; if he was trying to hurt her with thoughtfulness then it was working.

She pecked kisses on Judith's cheek as a way to console herself, and her daughter repaid her with a distinct giggle.

"Did she just laugh?", Carl asked as tipped his head to see his sister.

"You heard that?", Michonne gazed at the infant lovingly, "That sounded like a little laugh"

"It was cute", Carl stroked Judith's cheek with two of his fingers and his sister smiled at first, then turned her head and clamped her gums on his digits, causing Carl to yelp, "Ah!"

Michonne nearly snorted when she started to laugh, "Oh, dear"

Carl plucked his fingers away from her, "I forgot that we're not supposed to get to close to her mouth"

"It's best not to", Michonne saw a glass of Lemonade appear from the corner of her eyes, so moved Judith to one side to take it, "Thank you"

Rick eyed his son as he held a bottle of beer in his other hand, "What happened to you?"

"Judith got me", Carl wiped his wet fingers on the sleeve of his shirt.

His father smirked, "She's good at that¬"

"We've got more guests!", Penny made another cheerful declaration as she came into the backyard again, but this time she was followed by two blonde women who followed closely behind her.

"Hey everyone!", The moment Michonne heard the other woman's voice, she knew it was Andrea. She had heard that voice enough times in the past to be able to pick it out of a lineup. She was almost just how she imagined her, too; average height with an athletic build, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Her light blonde hair was wavy and tied out of her face, revealing a set of bright green eyes that glowed from excitement. She playfully tilted her head towards the similar looking blonde beside her, "This is my sister Amy; thought I'd bring her along to meet the gang"

Michonnes insecurities drove her to look at Rick because she wanted to see his reaction to her arrival, and much to her dismay, he had a full blown smile on his face. The kind of smile that he only brandished towards her or one of the children, and just like that, she felt sick all over again.


End file.
